


Pueblito

by Solstice0612



Series: Pueblito [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, F/M, Wordcount: Over 50.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 14:16:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 75,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5378252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solstice0612/pseuds/Solstice0612
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A long lost member of the SGC returns to Earth carrying the knowledge of powerful deadly weapons. Will Daniel be able to defend his friend from the unscrupulous plans of the NID and their shady associates? AU set in 2011, a few months after the end of the Stargate franchise. This work is part of a series, but written as an independent story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crossing

**Author's Note:**

> This post-series story hinges on various contacts with alternate universes, so it is easier to think of it as an AU. It introduces a few original background characters and a fictional town. Also, a big SPOILER WARNING: this story pays homage to Sally Malcolm's Fandemonium books "The Cost of Honor" and "A Matter of Honor." I loved these two books, so I made Hank Boyd, SG-10, and their story part of my own narrative, a clear deviation from canon. My deepest thanks to my wonderful betas Janice Kent/Topazowl and Eilidh17 for their generous and insightful assistance, to Eilidh17 and Magnavox_23 for her gorgeous art and for hosting the Summer of Stargate Big Bang Challenge 2015. Also many thanks to my fellow FB Gaters, who are an endless source of wisdom and creative inspiration. All mistakes here included are entirely my own. This story does not intend any copyright infringement, I am just borrowing the characters and the stories for a bit of fun; the rest of the story belongs to me.

Cover by Eilidh17

 

ALTERNATE REALITY (early 2011, Earth time).

 

The metal instruments in the glass cabinets and the rows of transparent test tubes quietly reflected the flickering light of the alien glyphs rushing by on the digital screen. Charts with oscillating colors and columns with gleaming signs provided the only illumination in the windowless room. Once the display settled down, a small, dark figure studied the results with focused determination.

After a few minutes, a henna-covered female hand opened a dark box and, with a slight touch, activated the silver globe cradled within. The sphere rose and became translucent. A handsome but expressionless face came into focus within the shimmering bubble.

“Cronus,” the woman said, looking at man in the orb, “our end is near. The last round of genetic trials have finally reached the desired results. However, there is a problem. The drone production process requires more steps than anticipated. We will need additional Zero Point Modules to complete this task in a timely manner. I must return to Melia.”

“I will order a Ha’tak to be readied for our journey.”

“Cronus, you know we can’t take Jaffa through the quantum mirror.”

“My beloved I do not doubt your wisdom, but Melia is no longer in a secure region of space.”

Nirrti’s carefully controlled smile did not betray her impatience. ZPM’s were not hard to find if one knew where to look for them. But after going through the inter-dimensional mirror, she might need to gate to another planet where she could steal a space ship. She had done this alone many times. The Jaffa would only hamper her movements as she preferred stealth to blunt strength. In a way, the Goa’uld felt flattered. Cronus’ sudden show of concern was a sign that her plans were about to succeed. If roles were reversed, she would also be deeply suspicious of any actions that challenged her ability to keep matters tightly controlled.

 

===

 

The Jaffa in Cronus’ Imperial Guard walked with their eyes focused on the starry night and on the silvery rocky outcrops that littered the landscape around them. Upon their arrival to Melia, Cronus had ordered them to set up a defensive perimeter around the fortress to await their Lord Nirrti’s return from her journey.

Nirrti had chosen this fortress for its excellent defenses. The entrance was hidden by the tall walls of the canyon and it could only be reached by air. The Chappa’ai was many hours away across the desert sands and any invasion forces would easily be seen long before their arrival.

Built long ago by Ba’al, the fortress had served to keep a discreet eye on the last remaining Tok’ra that were traveling through this region before they were completely exterminated. While the Jaffa considered their Goa’uld Lords all powerful, unannounced attacks by Anubis’ Kull warriors were not as rare as there had been in years past. Nirrti at least trusted that their guards would remain alert for as long as she and Cronus commanded it.

Nirrti used the fortress as a hidden repository of objects whose strategic importance demanded upmost secrecy. She always came at night and without attracting attention. Tonight, she was there to make use of an inter-dimensional mirror she had found in Camil. To protect its secrecy she had quickly eliminated the entire population of that forsaken planet and relocated the artifact to a more secure location.

Dressed in tight, black clothes, Nirrti silently walked towards the mirror room while tightening an armband holding her personal shield and cloaking device. She’d learned from her host the value of working undercover. She wore no makeup, no identifying marks, no beautiful henna designs on her gloved hands—all somehow eliminated. Her host’s slight build made hiding considerably easier. She felt safer in her anonymity and told herself that such stealth was temporary, that the day would come when her mere presence would be enough to inspire immediate obedience anywhere in the galaxy.

When that moment came, she planned to become a Goa’uld Queen and pass along to her progeny the secret of absolute power. But not yet. Anubis was still a stubborn obstacle in her way.

“Beloved,” said Cronus upon entering the room, “security is set in place. We are ready for you to proceed.”

The pleasant tone in Cronus’ voice masked his impatience well, but Nirrti knew better. She expected he would leave the planet as soon as she crossed over. The Goa’uld Lord did not trust anyone and preferred to observe how things developed from a certain distance.

With a last look at Cronus, Nirrti took out the softly colored control device from her satchel and found the link for one of the few alternate realities in which she could escape from entropic cascade failure. In it, both her host and symbiote were dead, as were most of the Goa’uld System Lords, including Cronus. Her blood called for her to avenge such impudence, but cast it aside with a conscious effort. For the moment, she realized with equal measures of irony and annoyance, these circumstances suited her well. Nobody expected her visit, which gave her a wider latitude in her movements.

Nirrti straightened the satchel on her shoulder and touched the mirror’s rim. Her shimmering form briefly illuminated the room on the other side of the quantum membrane. As in her own reality, this Melia had long been abandoned by Ba’al and was a safe location for the ancient device.

Hidden not too far from the solitary fortress, the stolen old cargo ship she used on her last journey awaited, undisturbed. The Goa’uld walked through the lonely canyon under the starry sky, a shadow moving among shadows. This was a quiet world with understated beauty. The brown shrubs and graying trees near the ancient river bed provided sufficient shade during the day and gave excellent cover when piled on top and around the ageing transport.

The hatch opened with a pneumatic sound. Nirrti stepped over the silvery branches and entered the ship. It was just as she left it: the lackluster walls, the minimal comfort, the no-frills navigation system. But it was clean and the food stash should still be viable. It could easily get her to her destination and back but it had no weaponry. She could try to steal a new vessel but that would take time and involve additional risks. As her craft left the arid landscape by the dim light of a distant moon rising in the horizon, Nirrti made up her mind. At hyper-speed she could reach her destination in a time long enough so she could return to the fortress under the cover of the following night.

In a corner of the Crab Nebula, in the Perseus arm of the Milky Way, an ancient race of uncertain origins had left a strange vessel with a number of ZPMs on board. It was only knowledge of this vessel in her own reality that had helped Nirrti locate its inter-dimensional twin. In her side of the quantum mirror, the ship had become trapped in a decaying orbit around a nearby black hole a few hundred times more massive than the sun. Its tidal gravitational forces were slowly ripping the vessel apart as it forever fell through the event horizon. This crushing pull had triggered a colossal explosion, its outward momentum seemingly frozen by the time dilation. The amount of radiation that was able to escape and remained in the area had been most revealing, confirming to Nirrti the presence of a powerful energy source.

In this reality alternate to hers she had found an enormous ancient alien vessel. It was still locked in orbit around the black hole at a distance safe enough to avoid its tidal forces and its inconvenient time dilation effects. Under the watch of the giant eye—an effect of the hole’s gravitational lensing of the surrounding gases—the alien ship continued its endless cyclical movements through the incandescent radioactive nebula that had concealed its existence to long range scanners. Nirrti had spent considerable time looking for it, stubbornly scanning the area of space around the black hole until she had finally found it. Its valuable cargo had made all the difference in aiding the plans she and Cronus had in expanding their dominion over their own galaxy.

Yet, the alien vessel had been unresponsive to all her attempts to command it. Nirrti had no way of knowing if meddling with the ship could jeopardize its safe trajectory, sending it on an irreparable downward orbit towards the event horizon. Thus, the Goa’uld piloted the cargo ship with all the skill she could muster in order to match the speed and direction of the lager vessel, without paying much attention to the spectacular beauty of the iridescent gem-like colors of the gaseous clouds that spiraled towards the unblinking eye. Next time, Nirrti promised herself, she would spend more time studying this vessel and figuring out how it worked.

After carefully maneuvering the cargo ship to trigger the automatic opening of the bay doors, she landed in the empty dark hangar and waited for it to re-pressurize. Seemingly, this was the only functional mechanism in the ancient vessel since all other features remained seemingly inert. Preceded by the light-beam of her torch, Nirrti made her way towards the interior the alien vessel where she found a compartment with rows of containers attached to the bulkhead. Each box housed the crystalline shape of what the ancient texts she had found called a Zero Point Module or ZPM.

Suspicious of her consort Cronus, Nirrti chose to bring back only three units. They were enough. For the moment, her secret stash of the most powerful energy source in two universes was to remain hidden in relative safety.

Satisfied, Nirrti set her cargo ship on a course back to Melia. The uneventful hours passed quickly as Nirrti focused her attention into a detailed examination of the powerful ZPMs. Eventually, an alarm announced the planet’s proximity and the Goa’uld prepared for landing.

Not too far, in a cloaked Al’kesh, a Tok’ra operative sat at a console entering an encrypted message. Somebody had apparently decided to visit the abandoned Goa’uld base. Nobody really ever came by this planet, but since they had captured one of Ba’al’s clones in the vicinity they had kept an intermittent eye in this region of space.

After reading the equally encrypted response, the pilot steered the Al’kesh in the direction of the cargo transport.

 

===

 

OUR REALITY (mid June, 2011, Earth time)

 

“Daniel Jackson.”

“Rise and shine!”

“It’s noon, Jack. I’ve been up for a while.”

“Oh. So why is your voice so low?”

“I’m in a library. I’m not supposed to be talking on the phone.”

“But you can listen, right? OK, we have a visitor with a story. Though not much of one.”

“So?”

“We need you. Can you come?”

“No.”

“Sorry, Daniel. Can’t be helped.”

“It’s my mid-summer vacation. I’m in New York. In a library. Doing research. I’ve been looking towards this for weeks. So, no, I can’t go.”

“Listen, we are ready for a quick transport.”

“No! Wait! You always do that, Jack! I need enough time to collect my things. Laptop. Sensitive stuff.”

“Oh, okay. But hurry!”

“Where’s this meeting?”

“Home base.”

“Who’s going?”

“Our little family. Murray just arrived.”

“Really? Must be important.”

“Duh.”

With a sigh, Daniel put his phone away, studiously avoiding the disapproving stare the librarian gave him from across the room. He took off his white cotton gloves and left them next to an intricately decorated scroll.

Under the soft light of the desk lamp, a colorful miniature world surrounded by winged angels and prayer scrolls shimmered on the leathery surface of the curling parchment. After a longing look, Daniel turned his attention to collecting the notes he had piled on the desk. The feeling of frustration subsided as he began to ponder what lay ahead. His feet moved faster as he descended the steps of the Metropolitan Museum in search of a taxi back to the hotel.

Within the hour, Daniel materialized for a moment on the deck of the Odyssey before arriving in the gateroom at the newly remodeled SGC. The recent attack by the Lucian Alliance had given them the chance to make some necessary updates to the infrastructure of the base and improve its functionality, including a new transportation rings room connected to well hidden bunkers in the White House, the Pentagon, and other select locations.

An airman took Daniel’s luggage.

“Jack, where is everyone?”

Jack, welcoming Daniel with a pat on the arm, nodded on the direction of the door.

General Jack O’Neill, head of Home World Security and Dr. Daniel Jackson, head of Discovery & Exo-Relations at the SGC entered the conference room with bright smiles on their faces. This was almost like an overdue family reunion. Everyone was here. Teal’c had arrived first, from Chulak, where he served as a member of the High Council of the Jaffa Nation and head of their committee for education. Brigadier General Samantha Carter, back in charge of Atlantis, had arrived soon after via the inter-galactic gate bridge, again in service. Colonel Cameron Mitchell and Advisor Vala Mal Doran, serving respectively as commander and special council on the Odyssey came in a few minutes after Daniel. General Landry, recently widowed, was back as commander of the SGC, as he was in no mood for early retirement.

Quietly waiting for the greetings to subside, Delek of the Tok’ra remained seated. The last time he had been in this conference room, several years prior, the Tok’ra-Jaffa-Tau’ri alliance had come to an end. Relations had been tense between the Tau’ri and the Tok’ra since then, especially after Selmak died. Finally, Delek was given a brief welcome and the meeting began. The Tok’ra collected himself for a moment and talked in the metallic voice of the symbiote.

“Recently, one of our Tok’ra brethren found and captured a Goa’uld. It was not easy. She was in a cargo ship with no defenses but she had a personal shield and cloaking device. She was injured during the struggle. The Tok’ra High Council decided she needed to regain her health before extraction on our home world. However, we would like your help in identifying who she is before we proceed. We suspect she may be Nirrti.”

 

===

 

SG-1 was no longer in regular rotation for off-world missions, but the team was occasionally recalled for special projects, such as responding to the Tok’ra request. Since the designation of SG-1 had remained linked to its first members, with the addition of Vala and Cameron, it have been semi-retired but it was re-activated as needed. Regular first contact duties had shifted to SG-2 and SG-3.

The members of SG-1 emerged in quick succession out of the Stargate, their desert camos matching the sandy landscape of the Tok’ra home world. The glass towers in the distance shimmered under the cloudless afternoon sky. After taking a moment to observe the beautiful city, they looked at each other with a puzzled expression, as is a fleeting shadow had fallen over them. But then the moment past and the group continued on their way.

“That was oddly familiar. Do you think this is some kind of hook to get us to join in one of their missions?” Daniel inquired, his eyebrows coming closer together behind his dark lenses.

Vala collected her hair flying in the breeze and gathered it into a pony tail. “They haven’t asked us to get involved in anything since Ba’al’s extraction.”

“That was a creepy day,” added Jack pulling his cap down over his sun glasses. “I expect there’s much they aren’t telling us. We all know Nirrti is dead.”

“Traces of henna on the host’s hands isn’t much to go on,” said Daniel.

“Perhaps she cloned herself like Ba’al?” suggested Sam.

Teal’c gave Sam a slight smile. “That is dubious General Carter. Upon my suggestion, the Jaffa visited all of the planets she dominated and dismantled her laboratories. They did not found evidence that she was actively producing clones.”

“The Tok’ra are familiar with Nirrti,” said Cam. “Perhaps she used Ba’al’s cloning facilities. But if there was any cloning involved, it must have happened before taking a host that the Tok’ra apparently never met.”

“Look, it’s the Tok’ra. With them it’s always about getting the cold pound of flesh,” concluded Jack.

Daniel rolled his eyes.

 

===

 

Surrounded by his teammates, Daniel stepped into the laboratory where the Tok’ra scientists kept the captured Goa’uld. Sunshine flooded the round room as if trying to sublimate the ugliness of the procedure in progress with natural light.

A petite female body was heavily strapped to a reclined surgical table. She wore a long white tunic and a metallic helmet covered her head, hiding her face. Next to her stood Anise, her voluptuously-clad figure turned towards a display measuring brain activity. A square section of the display remained stubbornly dark.

Three members of the Tok’ra High Council, including extraction expert Ta’seem, waited by the side, giving tacit approval to Anise’s explanation.

“We tried many methods but we have not been able to obtain any information from this Goa’uld. Her mind has blocked all our probes. We should be able to observe her thoughts in this screen, but as you can see it remains inactive, even at full strength.”

“How long have you being trying?” asked Daniel, always quick to ascertain the humanity of the methods.

Anise sounded almost professorial. “We have used several procedures. We’ve tried memory visualizer for––”

Delek quickly completed her sentence. “For long enough to know it doesn’t work. We are now considering––”

Jack raised a hand stretching his lips in a rather tense smile.

“Ahk!! I think you should let us try.”

Ta’seem and Anise quietly moved aside. Sam and Daniel approached the examination table and he put his hand on Nirrti’s arm. She shrugged away at the feeling of being touched. With a brief look to Sam, he acknowledged the defensive gesture and raised the table into a seated position.

“We only want to talk to you. If you talk to us, we might be able to negotiate favorable terms for you. We are the Tau’ri. We are known to keep our word,” said Daniel in a quiet voice.

Deep down he hated Nirrti for all the worlds she had destroyed, but there was always something that could be negotiated for the greater good. Nirrti should not regain her freedom nor remain in control of this host. But there were always options.

Daniel reached for the helmet and Sam helped him remove it. Nirrti’s head was loosely covered with a silky cloth. Daniel pulled it down to reveal the face.

The familiar dark eyes of the woman staring at him were so intensely cold that Daniel’s first reaction was bafflement. But the moment passed and his heart froze in recognition.

Daniel turned and looked at Jack. His eyes betrayed the full horror of what he saw.

“It’s Janet, Jack. Janet!”

Sam looked like she had trouble breathing. With visible effort she regained her professional composure.

“How can this be?” she whispered to no one in particular.

 

===

 

As Daniel walked on the white walled corridor leading towards the High Chamber he could hear the shouts inside. Following him were Teal’c, General Hank Landry, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Davis, two members of the Jaffa High Council, Councilor Tuplo and other leaders of planets allied with Earth. Once they reached the doors two Tok’ra guards opened them and quietly ushered them to their seats. Daniel remained standing observing the scene.

In the center of the elegant amphitheater the tall crystal vault reached towards the greenish blue sky of the arriving sunset. Below, Anise and Sam tried, without success, to pull Jack and Delek apart. Both men vented, at the top of their lungs, a long list of recriminations, completely ignoring what the other said. On the stepped seats, the audience, mostly Tok’ra government officials, followed the dramatic deliberations with rapt attention.

During the intense exchange, Teal’c came close to Daniel and whispered in his ear. The archeologist considered the suggestion for moment and nodded.

Teal’c’s resonant bass voice yelled out for silence and everything stopped. Quickly Daniel replaced Jack center stage, who sat down with a smug look on his face after forcing the High Council to remain in session well beyond its scheduled time.

Daniel faced the Council, while all eyes focused on him.

“Not long ago, the Tok’ra, the Tau’ri, the Jaffa, the Asgard and the members of many allied planets fought together to rid our galaxy of Goa’uld domination. Janet Fraiser was a central figure in our efforts. She saved all our lives many times over and deserves our highest consideration. Our leaders,” Daniel gestured toward the delegation seating on the first row, “respectfully request that Dr. Fraiser be returned immediately, free from the symbiote that holds her hostage. Janet belongs with us.”

Delek did not wait to answer.

“According to reports received from the Tau’ri years ago, Janet Fraiser died in the line of duty. This host cannot be Janet Fraiser.”

“Janet Fraiser may have died, but so did Nirrti.”

“Whomever she is,” responded Delek, “she’s the host of a still unidentified and potentially dangerous Goa’uld, found carrying out unexplained activities.”

“It’s true, there are many unanswered questions. But if your prisoner was plotting something so dangerous, why wait so long to inform us?”

Delek turned away from Daniel and addressed the whole chamber.

“We have known for long that Nirrti held the genetic secret of how to bring forth a new Goa’uld or Tok’ra queen. You held Nirrti prisoner once and let her go without consideration for our fate. This knowledge would save our species. Our last Tok’ra queen is dead and our species is now doomed. Would you condemn all of us to certain death? Would your Janet Fraiser wish that?”

Daniel turned this question in his mind for a moment. The Tok’ra obviously knew this Goa’uld was Nirrti. Why bring the Tau’ri in if they had already made up their minds?

“Delek, your people have often chosen not to share certain information with us and this is no exception. We understand you have critical needs but how have your interrogation methods worked for you so far? Can you even trust the information that she, whomever she is, may give you? She could very well doom your race.”

Delek looked at Daniel with a smug look on his face. “We seek nothing but the truth. We are not wrong in our aim or our methods.”

Daniel paused to considered his answer. “We’re not inexperienced in dealing with the Goa’uld. They can’t be forced to share information unless they’re placed in such extreme conditions that it would fill us with shame to use them. We can’t allow our… Dr. Fraiser to be treated in this way.”

“You have not offered us a viable alternative. There is no shame in survival.”

Delek turned around and walked away.

Daniel realized the chips were down. Neither threats nor reason had worked. The Tok’ra would continue with their interrogation and they would have to wait for who knows how long.

The Tok’ra High Council got up ready to leave. Daniel walked towards Jack and Cam, the concern visible in his eyes.

“Please sir, just go with me,” Cam quietly murmured. Jack looked at him for a moment. After a few seconds he nodded in approval.

Daniel felt Cam’s hand on his shoulder, and after the brief reassuring contact his teammate stepped forward, raising his hand in a conciliatory gesture.

“Delek!! Delek wait! We may have a solution for you,” said Cam.

 

===

 

Under the low ceiling of a quiet subterranean chamber, SG-1 and Tok’ra representatives moved away from a large triangular table. Empty plates and glasses were all that remained of the long, frustrating negotiation. The noise of the staff clearing the table and people moving away was subdued by the soundproofing qualities of the crystalline surfaces.

SG-1 clustered near the hallway exit. Jack checked his surroundings before addressing the group. Everyone waited, ready for his orders in spite of the lateness of the hour.

“Carter, Mitchell, go back and inform General Landry. Tell him he has my approval to proceed. We expect you back tomorrow morning. Daniel and Teal’c, give Councilor Tuplo and the others an update and thank them for their support. Vala, you’re with me. We’re going to have a chat with Nirrti, just give me a second.”

Jack took Daniel aside, and put a hand on his arm.

“I know you wanna be with Janet but you’re the group’s ambassador and you accepted this role. Gotta report back.”

“Yeah, I just––”

“I know. We’ll deal.”

Jack saw the anxiety coloring Daniel’s gaze, just for a second, before his friend walked away.

 

===

 

Nirrti was escorted inside through the single door by two Tok’ra guards who prepared to chain her to a chair once she was seated.

“That won’t be necessary,” said Jack without taking his cold eyes from the woman in front on him.

“As you wish, General.”

The room was small and bare with the exception of a triangular table and a set of modular chairs attached to the floor. After the guards locked the door on their way out, Jack and Vala sat down on the other side of the table from the Goa’uld.

“OK, here’s the deal,” said Jack without preamble to the woman who looked like Janet. “We want to know who you are, what you’re doing here, and we want Janet, your host, back and in good health. And the Tok’ra wanna know how to get a queen of your species going, so that’s pretty much a deal breaker. What do you want in return?”

The woman remained silent.

“Listen, we can extract you quite quickly,” said Vala. “I was once host to Qetesh and she’s no more. Anise is aware of the special genetic modifications you made to your poison and I assure you it will not work. Dr. Fraiser will give us the information we want once we extract you.”

The woman blinked. She seemed about to say something, but remained stubbornly silent.

“Listen honey, you’re out of options,” said Jack.

“You will address me as Lord Nirrti, your Goddess.”

Jack smiled inwardly. The Goa’uld could never resist a verbal put down. He lightly touched Vala’s shoulder, letting her know he was taking over the conversation. They had identified the prisoner; perhaps there was something else to be had.

“Whatever. The extraction is a long boring ceremony that ends with a needle in the head and a dead symbiote on the floor. Before that, months of tedious Tok’ra torture.”

“You will not harm this host.”

“Janet is one of the most courageous people I know. She’ll hang on. You, on the other hand, will be dead.”

“These are my terms: I will tell you where I come from. Then you will let me go back to my reality. I am of no help to you.”

“No. We want Janet.”

“This one is special. I do not wish to part with her.”

“In that case, you can stay with her till you die. Which will be soon.”

“How do you propose to free me?”

“You’ll be placed in stasis and taken to the quantum mirror. Whomever is on the other side will collect you.”

“That is unacceptable.”

“Yet, it’s the one option you got. We always keep our word.”

Jack and Vala waited for Nirrti to say something else, but there was only silence.

Finally, they got up and Vala engaged Nirrti. “You must make up your mind. You have a chance to survive if you give us what we want.”

“I would rather die than help you.”

“So be it,” said Jack stabbing Nirrti with a large needle in the shoulder and emptying its contents in one swift motion.

Nirrti slowly collapsed back in her chair. The Tok’ra guards came in silently and took the unconscious body away.

Jack and Vala followed the gurney.

“Thanks for following my lead, Vala.”

“I can see why Daniel likes you. You made her confirm her identity in no time at all. You are a skilled interrogator, General.”

“Daniel likes me?”

“Of course. He often tells me I remind him of you when I drive him a bit wonko. That’s a good thing, right?”

Jack’s eyebrows drew together while he tried to figure out if he had been insulted, praised, or both. Then he thought of another question.

“Vala, why did Nirrti refused to take our offer and go back to her reality?”

“General, it’s hard to tell exactly. Perhaps she didn’t want to show weakness by being returned in a stasis pod. Janet might be able to tell us who’s waiting for Nirrti on the other side.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Anise, who welcomed them into the Tok’ra lab.

“As you know, Nirrti was immune to our memory device,” explained Anise. “Once the Galaran machine arrives we’ll begin recording her memories immediately. We’ll be able to maintain the symbiote in a sedated pliable state to reduce any resistance, but the drug only works for one of our days until the symbiote learns to counter its effects. After the interrogation, we’ll allow Dr. Fraiser to emerge, but you’ll only have a few minutes. For the host’s safety, we must put both host and symbiote under heavy sedation and proceed with the preparations for the extraction without delay.”

Jack considered this information for a moment. “Is Janet safe?”

“I assure you, the host has been protected from the poison since we captured her. We made sure of that. If the Galaran memory device works as you described, Dr. Fraiser will be able to help us find the information we seek. We are most grateful for your assistance.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

 

====

 

Anise, Delek and Ta’seem sat in a corner of the lab discussing their findings and how to proceed next. Ta’seem had been connected to the Galaran machine and was able to see Nirrti’s memories unfolding while Delek asked the relevant questions. After a few hours they were satisfied they had retrieved significant information regarding the tightly held secret of queen formation. This data was of such fundamental importance to the future of the Tok’ra as a species that there was little time to celebrate its retrieval. Even so, the sense of excitement in the air was palpable.

Nirrti was left strapped on the examination table and allowed to rest. Daniel approached the gurney, his squinting eyes fighting the glare of the morning sun that flooded the room. He grabbed the woman’s hand.

“Janet. Janet, do you hear me?”

Janet opened her eyes. They were no longer dark pools of hate.

“Janet, can you talk to me?”

“Daniel?”

Daniel struggled with his own emotions. Something of Janet was here, speaking to him.

“Yeah.”

“Where am I?”

“Janet, you’re safe. You’ll be safe.”

“Please, Daniel. Take her out of me or let me die. Nirrti is a monster. I don’t wanna live like this. Please let me die.”

Tears rolled down the smooth cheeks of the woman on the gurney. Dressed in a simple tan-colored tunic and free from the heavy kohl makeup she seemed suddenly young and vulnerable.

“Janet, it won’t be long, I promise. The Tok’ra are getting ready and you’ll be free from her forever in a few minutes. How did you get here? Can you tell me?”

“I came through the inter-dimensional mirror at Melia. I remember the Tok’ra. He found us on our way there.”

“Wait, are you talking about the quantum mirror?”

“Yes. The Goa’uld rule the galaxy in my reality. Nirrti is Cronus’s Consort. The SGC is gone, Earth is again under Goa’uld control.”

“You don’t have to go back, if you don’t want to. Janet, I saw you die. You can stay in this reality. You’re safe here.”

“Daniel. Can I go back home to Earth?”

“I promise,” said Daniel with a reassuring smile.

 

===

 

Seated on the low bench under the bright sun shining overhead, Janet was deep in contemplation of her life and her uncertain future. Her appearance—she looked bit younger than her actual age--had been carefully enhanced by Nirrti, who was vain but too smart to compromise her judgment by regular use of a sarcophagus. Finally free from the Goa’uld’s harsh influence, Janet’s delicate features had acquired a vulnerable, almost innocent air.

She closed her eyes feeling the sun on her face.

There were no shadows and the air was crystal clear. It felt like a windless spring day, though Janet knew little about the seasons shaping the arid landscape of the Tok’ra home world that extended before her. She wrapped her arms tighter around the camo jacket Daniel had given her a few days prior to keep her warm. The Tok’ra had provided her with a comfortable set of long tunics that hung loosely on her. Their thermal qualities automatically adjusted to whatever was needed, but Daniel’s jacket gave her comfort, regardless of the weather.

She rested her back on the wall behind her and let her hands fall to the side. The stone was warm under her fingers. The simple geometry of the balustrade gave the paved terrace a stark look. The silence in this place helped Janet to quiet her mind.

She still struggled with two sets of memories--many of them nightmarish horrors—that competed for attention, making it hard to think and to concentrate.

Two months had passed since the extraction. Janet had cooperated with the Tok’ra and given them as much information as she was able. Some questions she had chosen to ignore. She knew the answers but the details were too terrible to think about and she still felt rather fragile. At any rate, she doubted that information about events in an alternate reality that was so different would be of much help.

In the end, she had demanded the process be stopped and an agreement was made that she would use the Galaran memory device to record anything else of possible use. Yet, as much as she yearned for Earth, she was not ready to leave.

Janet was not sure who she was anymore. The Tok’ra had told her that confusion and identity crises were common among former hosts, yet her shift to an alternate reality made her traumas even more difficult to overcome. Everything had changed. In a way, her experience felt a bit like going back in time except that too much history had passed. Janet did not know how to process everything that happened to her.

After a few visits, Daniel had remained by Janet’s side, trying to offer comfort or simply be there through the long hours of silence. Janet was getting used to being in a body that obeyed her own commands. Walking through the desert gardens with Daniel sometimes was enough to give her a measure of accomplishment.

Vala came to see Janet often. The new SG-1 member seemed to understand her predicament and on occasion they talked about their post-extraction experiences but Janet usually did most of the listening and Vala most of the talking. After mentioning a long conversation with Sam about the late Dr. Fraiser, Vala began to ask Janet pointed questions about the history that she and Daniel had shared in her alternate reality. On her next visit Vala apologized for intruding on the couple and then stopped coming. Daniel told her that Vala had a rather mercurial temperament and not to worry about it. They simply accepted her absence.

Janet had seen Sam only twice, once for the well-attended extraction ceremony, and then two months later, when she and Jack informed the former CMO that it was time to go back to Earth. Sam wished her good luck and went back to her post in the Pegasus Galaxy as the head of the second Atlantis expedition. Janet was not sure how things were in this reality but Sam had been a close friend in her universe. This Sam was pleasant but distant, even when she informed Janet that Cassie had taken a long time to recover from the loss of her adoptive mother and had asked not to be contacted again regarding Janet’s arrival through the mirror. Everyone loved Cassie and whatever request she made, it would be honored.

Janet was not surprised. She instinctually knew there were difficulties around her former daughter but her mind was not yet ready to confront this most painful loss. For the time being, she simply accepted that things would never be what they once were for her in her own dimension. Cassie had loved her as a mother and she had enjoyed a close friendship with the members of SG-1. At least she was free from her monstrous tormentor.

Teal’c came by one afternoon. With great formality, and yet visibly moved, he issued an official invitation to Janet to come to Chulak. He understood her situation quite well. She would always have a place of honor in his world. She would always find a home with him and his family. She had options. Janet hugged him tightly as tears fell freely from her eyes. Teal’c was an honorable man, in all dimensions.

A date for Janet’s departure for Earth was set, giving her a few more days to adjust.

In the terrace, under the sun, Janet considered her imminent departure and wondered how it would be to return to a world so similar, yet so different from the one she knew. Daniel had done all he could to reassure her and lessen her anxiety. She remember their conversation that morning.

He had also given her an option. An important one.

 

===

 

They were having breakfast. Daniel had brought coffee from Earth and she was savoring a cup. Her eyes filled with tears.

“Janet, what’s wrong?”

“Sorry. So many memories come when tasting and smelling… you have a writer called Proust, right?”

“Yeah, we do. Everything should be the same as you knew it until a decade ago, more or less. Are you having trouble with… is this why you’re hesitant to go back?”

“I wanted to have a better sense of who I am before I did. My mind is in such a shamble of memories.”

“Janet, there’s an option. A bit drastic, but you do have it if you want it.”

“What kind of an option?”

“The memory device can also be used to eliminate unwanted memories. It has the power to wipe clean all your memories since Nirrti took you. People I know have used it to forget traumatic events. It’s the most effective treatment against PTSD we have at the SGC.”

“You’re talking ten years!”

“You have the option to eliminate certain difficult memories if you feel this would bring you peace of mind. It’s strictly your choice. I can show how the device works and you can do it yourself.”

Janet considered this.

“I could be free of that monster. I’d have to relearn a lot, but that nightmare would go away.”

“Unless you really want to remember. Memories aren’t altogether erased, just blocked with different ones. Like you being found in a stasis chamber after ten years, or whatever creative alternative you’d prefer. It’d be your show.”

“But Daniel, who would be left to remember what happened?”

All her friends, sisters and brothers in arms, her family, the amazing crazy teeming life of her planet, all gone when Earth was attacked and civilization destroyed by Cronus.

“I’m probably the only one left of the SGC. Daniel, I can’t turn my back on their memory. God only knows what life is like on my Earth, or even if anyone survived…”

“But…”

“Look, I understand concepts like PTSD and survivors’ guilt. And yes, they would not wish for me to suffer. But I’m the only one who remembers, the only one who can give some meaning to their passing.”

She had rebutted his arguments even before he stated them. Daniel felt silent. They both knew Janet needed to find her own way through this.

 

===

 

Under the warm noon sun, the vastness of her loss hit Janet once more. She allowed the tears to fall down from her dark eyes. Yet, it was good to cry, to have a body that responded to her own emotions.

She felt Daniel’s hand take her own into his. He had been sitting next to her for a while. These days, he was never far away from her. She was grateful.

“Daniel?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you help me remember? Can you help me record the past with the memory device?”

“I can help you. Recovering the past is what I do best.”

“Then, I’m ready to go back to Earth.”

Janet had found a new purpose… and it felt right.

She would not bury the past. She would keep a record of all those lost souls The Monster had maligned. She would remember them and document the wonderful world that had once been hers.

Janet knew she could help this world. The System Lords in her universe felt a threat coming and she should figure out what that was. The Monster believed that disasters tended to echo across dimensions. But she needed time to piece it all together to sort through the fragmented wreckage of the past.

 

===

 

ALTERNATE REALITY (August 2011, Earth time).

 

“My Lord, your guards from Melia are waiting outside.”

“Bring them in.”

Guards in heavy armors marched in unison into the richly decorated throne room and knelt in front of Cronus.

“What news do you bring?”

“My Lord, Lord Nirrti has not returned. It has been several moons since she left through the inter-dimensional mirror.”

“Are you sure she did not return without you noticing?”

“As you requested, My Lord, we placed a shield around the room with the mirror. Lord Nirrti could not have gotten through without contacting us first.”

“What steps have you taken?”

“We again followed My Lord’s orders. We went through the mirror and searched the planet on the other side. There were no traces of My Lord Nirrti. We left the mirror under guard in our Melia. Does My Lord wish us to move or dispose of this artifact?”

“What about the control device?”

“My Lord Nirrti took that with her. The mirror is still turned on and set to that reality. We left a mark on the wall of the other reality to make identification easy.”

Cronus sat back and considered the situation.

If something went wrong and Nirrti was captured she would never return but there was a danger that somebody else would. But if she was plotting something…. it was better to slow her down.

He would wait long enough to see if she made her way back to him. She was remarkably resourceful. Although she was not trustworthy, he would rather have her as an ally.

If she was indeed lost to him, he would have to find somebody else to continue with her project. Then, they would need the mirror again.

For the moment, some decisions needed to be made.

“Guard, go back to Melia. Reinforce the security around the mirror. Make sure nobody can get in or out of the fortress, or disturb the mirror in any way. Leave a rotating guard in the planet. I want to be kept informed.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Cronus sat back on throne. Precautions were always wise but instinct told him Nirrti was gone for good. Time to find another capable consort and move on.

 

===

 

OUR REALITY (September 7, 2011, Earth time)

 

Daniel entwined his fingers with Janet’s and moved forward. She followed him into the rippling surface of the Tok’ra Gate.

Generals Hank Landry and Jack O’Neill were waiting for them at the foot of the ramp in the Embarkation Room, along with Sergeants Siler and Harriman, Dr. Bill Lee, Colonel Paul Davis, and a few of the base’s old timers. They all welcomed Janet warmly to the SGC.

Eventually, Janet was led to the conference room. She wondered if she should not feel overwhelmed with emotion. Last time she was here her world was about to turn to dust, but she felt like she was walking through a dream, a sense of unreality clinging to her.

Daniel sat next to her. She could sense that he had emotionally wrapped himself around her like a protective mantle. He was worried yet determined to keep her safe.

A confident man in his 50s entered the room and sat at the table. He was tall with short brown hair. He was introduced as Dr. Mel Hedwig, representing the NID. He nodded in the direction of Janet.

Jack led the meeting.

“Dr. Fraiser, are you OK? Would you like any water, coffee, anything?”

“I’m fine thank you, General.”

With nothing to delay the proceedings, Jack moved forward.

“I called this meeting today September 7, 2011, to help define Dr. Fraiser’s future here on Earth. Before we begin, Dr. Fraiser, if you don’t mind answering a few questions. This is an official debriefing so please state for the record a few facts so we can move forward,” said Jack sending a very poisonous look in the direction of the NID representative.

“Go ahead General.”

“Thank you. Dr. Fraiser, how were you able to cross realities?”

“The M… Nirrti kept what you call a quantum mirror in a planet named Melia.”

“Wait,” asked Landry, “don’t we have a mirror like that at the research center in Area 51?”

“We used to. It went missing around the time Ba’al allied himself with The Trust. We think he or one of his operatives took it,” responded Jack.

“Well, we seem to have located it again,” responded Landry.

“At any rate,” continued Jack, “Dr. Fraiser, you’re now here and although you changed realities, in both of them you were member of the Air Force, a doctor and an officer. In your case, you were taken prisoner while carrying out your official duties. My recommendation is that after a time you consider suitable, you become a full member of our medical staff. Dr. Fraiser how do you feel about working for us?

“General, thank you. I appreciate the offer, sir. I want to be here on Earth, but I wish to retire both as a doctor and as an Air Force officer.”

“Dr. Fraiser, we’d be happy to give you a long, very long leave. We hate to lose your contribution to the SGC.”

“Sir, I’m no longer able to practice medicine.”

“If you need time to retrain, or go back to school…”

“Sir, is not that. My education and my training prepared me to care as much as humanly possible for the wellbeing of my patients. To be a host to a Goa’uld like Nirrti for so long, to witness her terrible abuse of science to kill and destroy, it was more that I could bear. I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”

General Landry gave Janet an understanding smile.

“Dr. Fraiser, my daughter is the CMO here at the SGC. I can only guess the depth of your grief. If I may suggest, though, that at some time in the future when you are ready, that you consider putting some of what you had the misfortune of witnessing at the service of those who are suffering. We can help you.”

“General, I appreciate your sentiment, but I can’t go back to being a doctor. What I had the misfortune of witnessing, as you put it, will not help anyone.”

“Dr. Fraiser,” intervened Dr. Mel Hedwig. “Like you, I’m a doctor. My business is to save as many lives as possible. I understand you must be having a conflict about ethical issues, right?”

Janet looked at him without responding.

Dr. Hedwig continued. “Why don’t you just transfer this knowledge you witnessed to us and let us worry about the ethics involved? Principles are all very good, but a life saved is more valuable than abstract ethical quandaries.”

“Dr. Hedwig, I have little to offer you. Nirrti wasn’t in the health-care business.”

“But you have acquired medical and biological knowledge beyond our current level, haven’t you?”

Janet, in fact everyone there, could guess where the discussion was heading. She took a moment to think about her response.

“After capture, Nirrti was tortured for two months. She chose to remain silent. As a condition of my rescue, I was committed to participating in an intense interrogation process. I was grateful for my freedom, so I answered questions many hours a day, every day for several weeks. Everything I can tell you was recorded by the Galaran memory device. You don’t need me at all. It’s all there.”

“Dr. Fraiser, this was an agreement you made with the Tok’ra, not with us. We still have––”

“Dr. Hedwig,” interrupted Daniel, his patience growing thin, “we negotiated on Dr. Fraiser’s behalf under an Executive Presidential Order as full partners. As far as everyone is concerned, with her extensive testimony Dr. Fraiser has disposed of her obligations to everyone involved in this agreement.”

Dr. Hedwig persisted. “Dr. Jackson, if you look at the Presidential Order you’ll notice that it was extended in aid of Dr. Janet Fraiser, identified by social security and Air Force tag numbers. However, she isn’t the person who served at the SGC. For all intents and purposes, this Dr. Fraiser is legally considered an alien visitor with extremely dangerous knowledge. The NID has broad powers to welcome such visitors, assess their security status and monitor their living arrangements. For their own protection as well as ours, of course.”

After a long silence, Jack responded. “Dr. Hedwig, we have confirmed that Dr. Fraiser is indeed Dr. Fraiser. She has had the same identification numbers and is genetically identical to the woman who served under my command. If you’d like to question this identification legally in court, please go right ahead. You’ll find, that for all “intent and purposes,” Jack defined his last comment with air quotes, “differences in alternate realities aren’t recognized as such in any legal system on Earth. Moreover, I think you should take your idea that Dr. Frasier is not an American citizen by virtue of her birthplace directly to the President. He’d be delighted to hear it.”

Everyone at the table, except Janet and Hedwig, struggled to avoid laughing.

In the end, Jack was forced to call the President.

A compromise was reached but not one than anyone at the SGC expected. While Dr. Janet Fraiser had been a heroic figure at the SGC, this Janet refused to follow on her footsteps and came to Earth holding potentially devastating knowledge. Regardless of legal and ethical questions, they all learned that the President, perhaps out of an extreme sense of caution, was not free from NID influence.

Janet followed the discussion with detached silence. She had anticipated the arguments. If conditions were not favorable she would leave Earth and move on. She did not hope, she did not mourn, she simply waited. This is what all hosts did.

 

===


	2. Unpacking

 

Daniel opened a sealed box, picked up a group of heavy books and placed them on a bottom shelf. This time, putting together back his library would be easier. He had carefully labeled and numbered all the boxes and assigned numbers to the shelves.

He stood back and ran his fingers through his hair. He needed a trim. He suddenly remembered how his Janet liked to stand next to his bed in the infirmary and card her fingers through his long hair. It had become a natural and intimate gesture, a private sign of caring and comfort. He still missed her touch.

One long wall facing the windows was covered with white shelving that reached high into the ceiling. He could envision some of his artifacts on the top shelf, safe from curious hands. Several rows were already covered with books.

A small group of airmen from the SGC arrived and deposited an apparently endless amount of boxes towards the back of the still empty room. He let them work. They understood the boxes were in a pre-established order without having to explain anything.

The library was a large room on the side of the two-story house. The dwelling was spacious, without being grand. The room Daniel chose for the library had three large French windows that opened to the wrap-around veranda. He looked out the window and saw Janet in the veranda, her eyes closed, her hair swaying in the warm air of the late September afternoon. She seemed peaceful, but he was not sure if living in this place was going to be helpful or not.

It had taken quite an argument to convince Janet that setting up house with him was the best thing for both of them. He appreciated the protective barriers she had raised. After all, it was a sign that she was fighting her way back into a normal, independent life. But he recognized, with a pang of guilt, that he had deployed his considerable charm to assume the role of protector.

He stood next to the box pile and, one by one, he picked the top three boxes. He cut them open and began placing their contents on a shelf, while making mental stock of his situation.

The interference of an internally splintered agency like the NID could be quite dangerous. Since Janet had refused to work for the SGC, the NID had demanded that she reside in Pueblito, a small town southeast of Colorado Springs, until she got her citizenship papers in order. Everyone knew the process could take years. The paperwork was not inherently slow but the NID made it so as a way to interfere with the SGC. If Janet had to live here, so would he. He would not leave her unprotected.

In the end, overcoming Janet’s stubborn resistance had been harder than negotiating a three-month research sabbatical with the SGC. The agreement was that for the next months he would only work on the treaty with Semira, which was almost finished. He could work from home if he so desired, at least until he returned to the planet for a two or three-day mission to continue negotiations.

While General Landry had accepted that Daniel’s priorities for the near future had shifted somewhat, he had made it clear that losing him indefinitely was not an option. In exchange for Daniel’s continued involvement with the SGC, he had offered Janet and him free ownership of a large home in Pueblito. Although by nature Daniel always felt better in cozier spaces, he liked the idea of having a home with enough room to live, work and welcome all their friends. If they had to live in Pueblito it might as well be in a bit of style and comfort. Yet, no matter how gilded the cage was, it would not be enough.

Daniel picked up another batch of books and sought a home for them on the empty shelves. But as much as he loved handling his books, he could not stop worrying.

The NID was a problem that refused to go away. Contrary to what many expected in the wake of one of the worst market crashes in history, when no budget was safe and no government agency was spared drastic reviewing, the NID had somehow gained in political ascendance.

According to Jack, the NID’s shady leadership had allied itself again with another set of powerful corporations. The strength of such multinationals had never been so important in helping the economy recover. The SGC, its very existence at risk from deep budget cuts forced by the unprecedented economic crisis, was once more under political pressure.

This time, apparently, the NID was not after weapons, but after commercial opportunities wrangled from peoples who were unable to defend their property, safeguard their rights, or even adequately protect their populations. Janet, and her supposed knowledge of advanced technology and science, had fallen into their hands like a proverbial goose with golden eggs.

Who were these people allied to the NID? Daniel had no clue. In fact, nobody at the SGC understood how the new economic and geopolitical realities had shifted the objectives of the shadowy agency. They should have been more vigilant.

All Daniel cared for at the moment is that he had lost Janet once. He would not let that happen again. He would leave Earth in a heartbeat if necessary. He had done it twice before and he would do it again. Janet, however, was not yet ready to go. She needed to be here and reclaim parts of herself she thought she had lost forever. Perhaps Cassie was part of that equation.

The 26-year-old woman, a kindergarten teacher, had simply refused to see Janet. She stopped talking to everyone and let the SGC know through Sam that she found the situation seriously stressful and requested her privacy be respected.

Daniel understood the pain of losing your parents, a tragedy Cassie had endured twice. She had purposely followed a divergent path from the SGC in an effort to start afresh and rebuild her life once more. She needed time to adjust to Janet’s return.

Daniel dried his brow with the back of his hand and continued working.

He looked down to find another box in front of him. Egyptian. He picked at the edge of the packing tape with his dusty nails until he was able to peel it back.

He always nixed the idea of organizing books in a chronological fashion. He did not want to place all his ancient Egyptian sources out of reach. He stood up, looked at the wall of boxes the airmen had left and readied himself for hard labor.

There was something to be said for digital books. He really needed to look into it.

 

===

 

Janet smelled the scent of recently cut grass in the air. In the distance, somebody was using a power lawn mower. The warm air of the veranda and subtle noises of the garden relaxed her. She noticed the golden light of the sun shining over the Colorado grass lands, gently rolling away from the foothills to the west.

To think that only a few months ago she sat on a golden throne, ruling like a goddess, as the ultimate ruler of a nightmarish universe. Flashes of the heavy, encrusted imperial mantle made her shiver. It was not a path she had freely chosen.

Janet never imagined this particular scenario in all those years spent hiding in a quiet corner of her mind. Sure, she had held with great tenacity to the hope that one day she would regain her freedom but finding Daniel again was simply out of the realm of possibilities. She had seen the final days of the SGC. She saw him fall, his empty blue stare, his hair brushing the side of her black leather pumps.

No, she could not think about that. Not yet.

For a long time after those unspeakable events, Janet had withdrawn, disconnecting from the outside world. In a deep fold within her psyche, protected from the blunt, spiteful probes of her captor, she had found a place for silent contemplation of her most cherished memories. Cassie at home, trying on her new clothes. Spa days with Sam, who refused to get her nails done. Daniel calling her “his little woman” until she chased him with a blue velvety pillow all around the room, both of them laughing, half out of breath. She had woven around these distant moments an invented reality of beach days and endless conversations that, although imaginary, gave her the strength to survive, to wait for freedom.

She had survived.

Was that her greatest achievement? She would have preferred that at the end of days, her side of the balance held instead the one achievement she had been denied: to stop Nirrti, The Monster, from carrying out her plans. Instead, the remedies she had been able to find were always as bad as their root cause. She had ended the suffering of a few innocents, but she her hands felt unspeakably dirty. She had lived through too many horrific experiences.

Yes, she had survived but somehow it filled her with shame.

Janet did not want any more regrets. She knew what survivor’s guilt was. Yet, she needed time to recover, to find her way back to the person she once had been, or at least to make peace with the Janet she could no longer be. All she asked was to be left alone so she could learn how to handle her memories on her own time.

It was not yet clear if this would be the case. The conditions of her release, the expectation of having to keep giving testimony to satisfy the NID, the restrictions placed on her movements did not give Janet much hope. Yes, she lived in a beautiful house in a pretty little town, but that was just geography.

Yes, she had survived, but she was not yet free.

She was not strong enough yet to change things. For the moment, she was determined to be the voice of those who had fallen to The Monster. Nirrti’s dreams of galactic domination had finally undone her, but she, Janet, would remember and speak for those The Monster had so arrogantly destroyed. She would remember them, even if she was the only one in this reality who would mourn their fate. The thought drove home her deep sense of disconnection.

Janet’s eyes pooled with unshed tears.

In the evening, the neighborhood became quiet. The sun, about to kiss the distant mountain range to the west, made time stand still.

With determination, Janet cast aside her anxious thoughts and focused her mind on the painful events of the past. She closed her eyes, slowed down her breathing and found a place of deep relaxation. She dropped her guard and let her mind go.

Memories flushed in. Janet accepted them. The screaming children growing up in cages, their sanity lost to fear and despair. The planets devastated by plagues so The Monster could cull those few strong survivors. The towns of misshapen, tortured bodies, so she could have, what? The ability to read minds, move things by raising a hand, sense danger? Janet had not wanted any part of it and had repeatedly refused to assist. The Monster’s repeated failures to find what she wanted only spurred her forward, searching for elusive answers by ruthlessly experimenting on the unfortunate who crossed her path.

Tears ran down her cheeks but the warm air quickly dried them. Emotionally exhausted, Janet closed her eyes, heard Daniel inside the house and let this comfort assist her in her quest.

For a moment, Janet reveled in the feeling that he was there for her, that he was her rock, only to push those feelings aside at the end. She could not afford to indulge in such romantic fantasies. Her situation was complicated enough. It was okay for her to love him as a friend, but she could not allow their relationship to become anything else. Not after all that had happened. He deserved better than being buried in this golden cage so that he could hold her hand.

Janet found a renewed sense of determination. She would get better. She would get better, become stronger and take control of her emotions. She would step aside and give Daniel the freedom to seek the happy life he so richly deserved.

 

===

 

Many unopened boxes still remained after an hour of solid work. Daniel unpacked his books efficiently while his mind wandered. After licking his parched lips, he took a sip of water from a glass resting on an empty shelf. It had been a rather hot day, probably one of the last ones of the season and the traffic of the movers had made the house warmer.

He took off his blue plaid shirt, used it to dry the sweat dripping on his neck and shoulders, and dropped it in a corner. He felt better working in his white tank top and black cargo shorts. Daniel picked another box and let it fall in near the shelves with a thud. He pried the lid open, examined the contents and began organizing a new row of books according to his own internal logic.

“Greek Colonies, Etruscans, Sabines, Romans, general historical sources….”

These were very general reference books he rarely used. He pushed the rolling ladder he had acquired to be permanent fixture of this room, balanced a dozen books on his straining arm and began working the top shelves.

He heard Janet walk on the veranda towards her office in the back corner of the house. The adjustment to Pueblito had not been easy for her. This subdivision north east of the town of Pueblo was by design so secure that it was not even registered in any of the popular mapping programs on the internet. There was a fine line between secluded and sequestered.

He held a Latin lexicon. “Hmm… where are the Greek and Roman boxes with general philological reference books and sociolinguistics?” Daniel mumbled to himself naming in quick order the different categories that organized the shelves. He descended the ladder, went to the slowly decreasing pile of boxes and found what he needed. Another shelf in the mid area filled up. Grammars, treatises on phonetics, etymological dictionaries. The list seemed endless.

Daniel placed several old, dusty volumes flat on an empty shelf. He methodically arranged them into various flat piles on a shelf he had chosen for rare books, wiping his hands on his now sweaty tank top, now dull gray with dust stains.

The sky grew darker outside. He turned around and admired the beautiful sunset over the distant mountains, the limitless sky interrupted only by the tower near the square. Underneath its traditional architecture sat an alien device. This was probably the only town with its own set of transportation rings, hidden in the basement of Pueblito’s Municipal Hall, thus giving quick access to the SGC and the Gate to the town’s NID leadership in case of imminent Goa’uld attack. Not much of a commitment to protect their neighbors during such an emergency. By car, the SGC was 35 minutes away.

Yet, by all outward appearances, this was a friendly, spacious, suburban community whose innocent looks played into the hands of the NID, who kept many “special” visitors under close supervision and away from the American public.

Daniel’s mind drifted back to his new situation. He was not happy about living so close to the NID on a permanent basis. The almost paranoid security at the SGC was bad enough. In the past, having an apartment or a house out in the real word had given him a sense of balance, but that illusion was now much harder to maintain.

He hoped this arrangement at least kept Janet in an environment that was stable, if not all together pleasant.

At Jack’s insistent request, Sam had equipped the house with a protective shield. She had found this adaptable technology in Pegasus and had “forgotten” to report it, at least officially. The shield protected the home from any kind of NID surveillance and intrusion. Although such freedom of privacy had been a key condition for them moving to the town, the thought of taking the NID at its word never crossed Daniel’s mind. He had a profound trust in humanity… but he was nobody’s fool.

After long arguments, he had convinced Janet to accept the plans he had made for the both of them. During those first months, his protective presence had indeed helped her to keep things together. Under the circumstances, he didn’t know how to best continue providing support other than by sharing a home with her. They would live together until she felt ready to be on her own and decide what to do about the future. He knew this was not his Janet. He reminded himself every day. Yet, he liked this woman. He could not help it, especially now that she was slowly becoming more communicative with him. He valued her trust as a precious gift.

 

===

 

The simple light brown cotton sweater Daniel had given Janet on the day they moved into the house put an end to the chills she felt. The cool air that came with the sunset had chased her indoors.

Janet grabbed a water bottle. Summers could be quite dry in this area. She took a sip and sat at the kitchen table. Not many places to sit down and relax in the large house. The rest of the furniture had been piled in the living room and in one of the bedrooms upstairs. Daniel wanted to do room by room but he had stopped after the library and his office.

Well, her office was ready too, in a way. She had placed her cot there. Got a box to serve as a night stand and found a small lamp. She lived in a corner. Not too far from where Daniel liked to work all day and part of the night. She was not sure where he slept. He had a cot upstairs, but a sofa had been pried away from the furniture pile. Maybe he slept there.

She had a small suitcase with clothes. Mostly jeans, t-shirts, jackets and underwear. She slept in exercise clothes she found at the base.

The austerity of her surroundings suited her. It was as far as she could get from the claustrophobic opulence of imperial life that she had endured during the last decade. Flashes of richly embroidered silks and groveling servants often filled her mind. The empty house gave Janet the relief she needed from the intruding thoughts and memories of her recent past.    

Daniel wanted to settle down, but she liked the emptiness. It gave her enough room to breathe.

The office at the back of the house had its own bathroom. The only signs of her presence were a few generic things: soap, shampoo, a toothbrush. The Monster didn’t like body hair and had somehow permanently eliminated all traces of it from her body except for her eyebrows and the hair on her head. The barber at the SGC had given her a rather pixy haircut that did not require much styling. Her shoulder-length, naturally wavy hair fell over her eyes in graceful bangs, framing her head in loose waves.

Jane kept her needs simple. She wanted her energy to go elsewhere.

But she missed cooking. She had not done that in many years. She would have to learn this skill all over again.

Janet opened the cupboards and the refrigerator. There was enough to make a very basic meal.

 

===

 

There were only a few boxes left to be opened, at least for the moment. There were more books waiting for him in storage at the SGC. He checked the labels and was satisfied that he would need minimal shifting to accommodate the rest of the stuff. Magazines and journals, top shelf. The least important stuff, bottom shelf. Even the slightest bit of flooding was murderous on the printed word. His copy of Budge always lived next to the ground.

Daniel felt a rush of love for all his books. The library was, for now, finished, and it looked splendid.

With satisfaction, he stamped with his foot on the last empty cardboard container, tossing its flattened shape with the other recycling trash. He turned around and saw Janet looking at him from the foyer door. How long had she been there?

“You have collected so many books! Unpacking them was a lot of work. You look like you could use something cold to drink.”

“Uhm, yeah. Sorry, I should take a shower.”

Janet took a deep breath and then smiled.

“I just wanted to tell you…. Daniel, I’m so grateful you’re here for me, for creating a place that feels like a home. You make me feel safe. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, even though all our furniture is still in a big pile.”

“I know. I like the empty spaces. It’s so restful.”

“You know, we don’t have to stay here if you don’t like it.”

“I do. It’s quiet. Exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

Daniel did not quite understand her contradictory reluctance to settle down or leave. He wanted to hug her but refrained. He was covered in sweat, his dingy top stuck to his skin.

Janet, on the other hand, did not seem to care. She moved quickly and gave him a tight hug. She rested her cheek on his upper chest and took a slow, deep breath. His smell was so familiar. Not yet pungent, but musky, like walking through a cedar forest on a rainy day. An old image floated into her mind. So many years ago, the feeling of being in Daniel’s arms, on the soft darkness of her bed.

“Janet! I’m mess!” Daniel exclaimed but returned her hug.

“Yes, I guess you are.”

She laughed. For the first time, Daniel heard a real laugh from her. His spirit lifted.

“If you want to shower, I’ll get dinner ready for us.”

He stepped back and smiled at her. There was a question in his eyes. She smiled back, but only with her lips.

 

===

 

In a few days, Janet and Daniel fell into a workable routine.

Like on previous mornings, Janet woke up disoriented and uncertain but she found in the simple pleasure of a hot shower, a way to re-center herself. The water softly tapped her skin, calming her and washing away her anxieties. She then made a large pot of coffee and waited until the world seemed real before thinking about food. Daniel dragged himself into the kitchen wearing a pair of grey sweat pants, a white tank top, and a face full of sleep. He drank coffee in companionable quietude and then left for the shower. He returned to the kitchen smelling of aftershave and drank one more cup of coffee. He rinsed the grime out of his glasses with detergent and put them on with a practiced gesture as if to say he was awake and, once again, part of humanity. Janet smiled at him as he left to work in the library.

Once the breakfast dishes were put away, Janet sat down to write in the new laptop Daniel had gotten for her so she could record her memories whenever she wanted.

She felt safe in the warm light of the kitchen and wrote for hours until the tears made it impossible for her to type anymore. Then she sat in the veranda, staring into space, thinking about the distant past. Memories crowded her mind: that little blue dress her mother gave her and she wanted to wear every day, her ex-husband’s beer bottle collection, working at the SGC’s Infirmary, Cassie decorating cup cakes with her friends. Her thoughts eventually changed in tone and she began to fret about unresolvable regrets. She would put them aside and allow the darker memories to flow into her mind, unimpeded. She accepted them and then wrote about them the next day.

It was an emotionally exhausting system, but it worked for her. She could halt it when it got too bad. She specifically wanted to record the names of the people she had met, their place in their universe, their dark fate. She was writing a memorial to their lost lives.

Janet realized she had written almost 50 pages. She recorded her memories in no particular order, her fingers moving over the keyboard fast enough to follow the steady flow of the past running through her mind like an old movie. She could type faster sitting on a sofa by herself in the middle of the half empty living room, but she felt better in the bright kitchen.

That morning, Janet had recalled a significant detail about an event she had recorded earlier. She scrawled through the text but couldn’t find the right place. She closed her eyes, frustration slowly rising to the surface. Remembering she had used the word “victim” in her description, she fed it to the Find feature in her software. The results made her pause. Apparently, she wrote that word a lot. She knew she had been one of The Monster’s victims but she did not want to feel like that anymore. The painful writing exercise gave her a sense of solace, of purpose. It lessened her guilt of having facilitated The Monster’s cruelty. Facing the past gave her a sense of empowerment, of once more taking control of her own reality.

Janet’s lips curled in a sad smile.

It was not quite her reality, was it? She had crossed dimensions. Yet, she was here now. To stay.

In her heart, Janet laid claim to this world, this universe. That felt good. She recognized that she had finally taken a step back to see her experiences as interconnected to a larger context. After months of mental struggle she had achieved a tiny but precious moment of distancing. That felt hopeful, and she was proud.

Janet looked at the long digital text and considered the matter of how to begin organizing the information in a rational order that would help her find things faster. She decided to stop and consult with Daniel about writing a journal, in fact, about ways of writing history. If anyone would know, it was him.

Janet got up, pulled up the zipper of her hooded sweatshirt and walked to the other end of the house. She found Daniel seating in his office, frowning, the phone on his hand.

Something was wrong.

 

===

 

Dr. Mel Hedwig arranged the Galaran memory device on Daniel’s desk. The NID doctor had proposed to work in the kitchen but Daniel refused to use the one place where Janet felt safe.

Hedwig held two Tok’ra memory devices on his hand.

“Dr. Fraiser, I need to place one of these on your temple.”

“Wait. Why do you need both the Tok’ra and Galaran devices?”

“I’ll be wearing the other Tok’ra memory device. That way I can see where we are and how to best direct my questions. The Galaran machine will record what we see.”

Neither Daniel nor Janet liked this new set up. He did not like the fact that Hedwig would effectively enter Janet’s mind and be able to manipulate her reactions.

“This was not what we agreed to. In fact, the deal was that we’d have a decent period of time to prepare for the Galaran machine, which I was supposed to handle in the privacy of our home, when we were ready.”

Daniel had much more to say, but he kept his thoughts to himself: five days didn't seem like a reasonable amount of time. There weren’t even finished moving in. This was an unacceptable intrusion.

“I apologize for the sudden change in plans. We felt that it would be good for Dr. Fraiser to move on and put this behind her. Please consider this a demonstration. We’ll do it for just an hour. What do you think?”

The man was here. He was behaving in a very friendly and polite way. Perhaps it would be a good idea to see how somebody else handled these devices.

Daniel looked at Janet. She looked resigned. Daniel reluctantly signaled the man to proceed. He sat in a corner, ready to jump if he saw Janet in any distress.

Dr. Hedwig attached the Tok’ra memory device to Janet’s temple—and to his own--and lights began to intermittently shine in both. He then attached the Galaran device to Janet’s head. The interface had been modified into a flat metal band that fit easily around the head like a crown. The doctor sat down across the desk from her and began to scribble notes in his electronic note pad.

“Dr. Fraiser, please, tell me about Hanka. Do you know what happen to its population?”

“At the time, at the SGC, since I wasn’t a host then, we thought Nirrti’s objective had been strategic. She wanted the only survivor of the plague she introduced to gate back to the SGC in order to destroy our Stargate.”

Daniel noticed that Janet did not mention Cassandra, protectively leaving her out this conversation.

“Why a plague?”

“She was impatient. Nirrti infected many planets with fast-acting epidemics. Sadly, the pathogens she used were very effective.”

“What was her objective?”

“She wanted to find those people who were genetically strong enough to survive any given antigen.”

“Dr. Fraiser, do you know where these pathogens came from?”

“From sets of stasis cabinets that Nirrti kept in her labs. They were in small containers and she used different kinds of technologies to disperse the contaminants.”

“Did you identify the plagues?”

“Nirrti used numbers to identify them; there was a series between 150-159 or there was another group of containers labeled 2032 to 2038. I remember some of the symptoms of the epidemics associated with the 100s, like massive internal bleeding. The 2000 series often produced catastrophic cell membrane failures that literally liquefied people. However, Nirrti seldom did blood analyses on any of her victims. These pathogens were weapons in her armory and she simply used them. In case you are wondering, she handled these contagions through fully automated devices that effectively prevented accidental releases. They were contained in bullet-like casings that could be inserted in a Goa’uld grenade or some kind of projectile and often sent through the Gate. She’d wait for a few hours and then use a personal shield when she went to see the results.”

“Yes, I can see the rows with the tiny tubes. There are hundreds of them.”

“Yes, many. I suspect, just from the number series Nirrti used, that there were thousands.”

Daniel appreciated how skillfully Janet answered questions. She provided a lot of information without actually conveying any dangerous medical knowledge. Seemingly undaunted, Dr. Hedwig forged ahead in a friendly manner.

“Dr. Fraiser, do you know how Nirrti produced these plagues?”

“Not sure, they were already in her lab by the time I learned about them. She seldom developed a new plague from scratch.”

“Please, tell me about those cases in which she did design a new pathogen.”

“Nirrti was intrigued by the Tau’ri. Immediately after my capture, before her symbiote had a chance to change the chemistry of my body, she took a sample of my blood and found the genetic codes of my vaccination induced antibodies and whatever deactivated contaminants are commonly present in our blood. She made variants of small pox, chicken pox, measles, rubella, and hepatitis A and B, dengue, and a pathogen we found in the Land of Light. She tested them in live subjects until she was able to synthesize them. Nothing new for me to learn as we are familiar with these contagions. Except that she had some kind of device that identified and reconfigured the genetic materials. I never had the opportunity to understand how it worked.”

“Are you saying that these were the only bio weapons she produced while you were a host?”

“Yes. That was the whole point in capturing me. As a doctor, I was often exposed to many diseases, so my body carried with it the kind of knowledge she wanted. She was always searching for ways of producing the perfect host. Her way was to see what genetic markers made survivors overcome antigens. In my view, it was a tragic and inhuman waste of life just to find people with natural antibodies that her symbiote did not really need. Her methods were blunt and careless. I assume you have better technology nowadays to produce vaccines.”

The questioning, friendly but persistent went on for 30 minutes. Janet kept her answers general and Dr. Hedwig did not press. It was obvious that he wanted the formulas of fast spreading biochemical weapons but Janet frustrated him at every turn.

Half way through the interview, Dr. Hedwig switched tactics.

“How many labs did Nirrti have?”

“Not sure. I saw around half a dozen.”

“Walk me through one. What do you see in them?”

Daniel saw Janet’s slight hesitation.

“There were usually in a suite with high security. They included multiple rooms where she imprisoned her subjects. There was a storage room with cabinets and various containers with pathogens and toxins.”

“Yes, I recognize them.”

“Also a room with chemicals and supplies. Another storage area for equipment. One room for genetic research. She used a platform that automatically provided a reading of a subject’s genetic code. She could select any set of chromosomes and modify them.”

“Dr. Fraiser, can you tell me what these graphs you are seeing say?”

“This was quite difficult for me to understand as I am not familiar with the full spread of the human genetic code, let alone codes for other species. It took me several years to learn to read the odd combination of Goa’uld and Ancient dialects she used for her digital graphs. She could read them very fast, so I wasn’t able to see more than a few symbols at a time.”

Dr. Hedwig paused for a moment.

“Yes, I can see the charts, but the language is fuzzy, illegible.”

“That’s because I know rationally that there was a language there but I couldn’t read it. My eyes saw it but my brain must have stored it as undifferentiated data.”

The NID man was no longer smiling.

“I thought that hosts were able to access whatever is in the mind of a Goa’uld.”

“Only if they allow it. Nirrti was extremely secretive and she seldom opened her mind to me when she was in a lab working. She did not trust Cronus and was afraid that one day he would force whomever was her host to reveal her secrets. The only power she held was her ability to produce the biological weapons he wanted.”

“I see.... Well, let’s continue. What was Nirrti’s objective in her genetic research?”

“To produce perfect bodies she could use as future hosts.”

“What are those small cages in the corner of the lab? Were those part of her experiment?”

Janet looked at Daniel.

“Yes.”

“Please expand, doctor.”

Janet swallowed.

“Nirrti used young children as subjects. She culled them from various planets and kept them caged in one of her labs for years to study how her genetic manipulations progressed over time.”

“What kind of manipulations?”

“She attempted to make their brains grow larger.”

“Did she succeed?”

“Only in part. Their brains grew but not their skulls. After a certain point, brain inflammation led to multiple and progressive organ failures.”

“What else?”

“Isn’t this enough?”

“I mean, what happened with the experiment?”

“None of those children survived.”

“Was there some kind of accident? I see fire…”

“The children were doomed from the start. There was a fire in the lab and an explosion. Nirrti used her personal shield to survive but everyone else died.”

Janet’s eyes filled with tears. She fished a piece of tissue out of her jeans pocket and dried her nose. Her interrogator, though visibly repulsed by the harsh images, forged ahead.

Daniel saw his extremely polite manners in a new light. The man was completely uncaring. He looked at Janet. She was quietly crying, no longer making the effort to dry her tears.

“Dr. Fraiser, could you please tell me what Nirrti did to enhance brain mass on these young subjects?”

Janet tried to collect herself but could not.

“I don’t know. She had set this horrible experiment in motion a long time ago. Do you really expect that she’d share her thinking with me?”

“I don’t know but we’ll be done very soon if you continue to answer the questions as before. I still have a few regarding this...”

Janet was visibly distressed, and Daniel had had enough.

“Dr. Hedwig, there’ll be no more questions.”

“I’m not done yet.”

Daniel moved very quickly. He plucked the Tok’ra memory device off Janet’s temple and took her Galaran head gear off. She breathed with relief.

“Yes, right. Maybe this is good moment to stop.” Dr. Hedwig got up and put some distance between him and Daniel’s murderous gaze. “Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Fraiser. I’ll go over the data you have kindly shared with us and come back next week to continue with the interview.”

No one answered him.

In silence, the NID man efficiently packed the equipment. Daniel escorted him to the door.

“Dr. Hedwig, since you saw fit to unilaterally change our agreement, I’m now renegotiating it. We expect the Galaran memory device back next week. Please return it to the SGC. I’ll pick it up there. I expect to have it for eight weeks. If you have any more questions for Dr. Fraiser, you may submit them in writing for our consideration and in a timely manner. This experiment is over at the end November. If you have any comments, please address them to General O’Neill as he’ll be getting a memorandum of understanding from Dr. Fraiser and myself before the end of the week. Good bye.”

Daniel closed the door on the stunned man. There would be no more arguments.

 

===

 

When Daniel returned to the office, Janet was sitting behind the desk still trapped in a flashback of the unspeakable horror she had described, her vacant eyes staring into space.

“I’m sorry Janet. I know this must be hard.”

She looked at him without seeing him, infinite sadness dimming the light of her dark eyes.

He pulled a chair next to hers and spoke to her quietly until she broke free from her vision. He then hugged her for a long time, rubbing slow circles on her back with his hand. Finally, he pulled back and looked at her.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Daniel frowned.

“Janet, sweetheart, I know you’re upset but it’ll be okay.”

Janet began shaking, her arms around her waist. Not the right thing to say. Her response came with sudden energy.

“And what would you KNOW? You don’t know. YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. Nobody does. I had to burn that lab to end all that misery and her awful evil plans. I wanted all of us to die! Do you know what’s to live with that knowledge? YOU DON’T KNOW!”

Daniel remained still, his tone soothing.

“Please, I’m trying to help you. I know a little, okay? I saw plenty of heartache in my life.”

“Not like this. You don’t. Look Daniel. I can’t. There is simply too much. If I open the flood gates it would . . . it’d just shatter me.”

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, tension thinning his lips, but he took a long breath and spoke with calm.

“No, you won’t shatter. I’ll help you. I’m here.”

“Why are you here? Why do you FUCKING care?!”

“This is important to me, so I’m going to be absolutely honest with you. I’m here because I love you, Janet. I care about you. I always have.”

“You love that other Janet. I’m NOTHING like her. Not anymore….. The things I’ve done!”

“JANET! Look, my mind understands what you’re saying. I get it. My Janet is gone; she’s been dead for years. But I care about you. I care, do you understand? I CARE. And I know that you were a host. You had absolutely no control over Nirrti.”

“If you only knew. What I’ve done… You wouldn’t… Nobody would…”

“I don’t care who you are or where you came from or even why I feel this way. I simply can’t help the way I feel. It is what it is. Janet, I feel love for you, YOU! And nobody else!”

Daniel’s blue gaze bored into Janet’s dark eyes. She could not resist the intense emotional onslaught and lowered her eyelids.

She could sense his love filling up the room, filling up the whole empty house. She had not felt anything in such a long time. It would be so easy to let go and grab on to this man. She was more than half-way there, if she was to be honest with herself. But she was afraid that she would be exchanging her emotional numbness for another emotional cocoon without ever facing the feelings that truly haunted her.

Deep pangs of regret for the world Janet had lost still threatened to swallow her. Rage for the cruelties she had witnessed expanded within her with unstoppable pressure. The burning self-hatred for the things she had had to do was turning her heart into shreds. And now, she added to this encroaching darkness, a sense of guilt for dragging Daniel into all this ugliness when he deserved so much better.

Daniel was in front of her, his love hitting her in waves asking her to jump over the bottomless abyss that threatened her. She had no safety net. She was afraid to let go only to fall into the boiling cauldron of fury and regret that threatened to flood her soul.

“Daniel, this is killing me,” she said in a barely audible whisper.

“I’m sorry Janet. Let go, sweetheart. I know, you’re making a leap of faith, and only on my words. But I’m here to catch you. I’m here for you. Please, sweetheart, trust me. Let go. Time to let go. Whatever horror happened in the past I promise I’ll be here for you. Always.”

So she did. She let it happened. Janet allowed herself to shatter. She began to sob, her body sagging on the office chair. There was no stopping now. She felt Daniel picking her up as her sobbing turned quickly into an uncontrollable bawling.

Daniel carried her upstairs, and placed her softly on her bed in the dark, half put-together bedroom. Through her sobs, she felt her shoes disappear and a body and a blanket wrap around her. Daniel was holding her while she got lost in the emotional storm. The cried until she ran out of energy and then fell asleep.

When Janet woke up, a few hours later, she felt exhausted and emotionally numb.

“Daniel, I just want to sleep. You don’t need to stay here.”

“I won’t leave you unless you really want me to go.”

Without much thinking, she grabbed his hand.

“I’m here Janet. You’re safe. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’m so sorry for all this. You deserved so much better.”

Janet began crying again, this time more quietly. Daniel pulled her against him and caressed her back in a calming circular motion.

After fifteen minutes, Janet was calm again.

“Daniel?”

“Yes?”

“I know this isn’t the most appropriate thing to say, but I gotta pee.”

Daniel chuckled softly against her hair. Before Janet left he turned towards her.

“Janet, we allowed the NID to come into our house and place you in an untenable position. No matter what, Dr. Hedwig is not coming back. Our home is off limits.”

 

She nodded and walked out of the bedroom.

 

===

 

With restrained efficiency—Daniel had asked them to be quiet--the two airmen placed half a dozen boxes in a corner of the library. They took the signed receipt and left without any noise. Stealth was never an issue at the SGC.

Nightmares had kept Janet up last night and Daniel wanted her to sleep late. At least she was finally processing the emotional fallout of her captivity. Painful, no doubt, but a step in the right direction.

Daniel turned his attention to the task at hand. The library was his own mental refuge. He sat on the floor near a window, pushed up his glasses and opened three boxes.

Private journals. Those would go on the top shelf, away from casual curious eyes. He had saved space for these volumes as if they were tardy but favored guests.

There was one exception, a book by a W. Benjamin was included. He was not sure what it was doing among his journals. He quickly browsed its pages and it opened to an essay about unpacking a library after having moved around to hide from the enemy. The soulful words were comforting and quite fitting to his task.

The next boxes had private documents. He opened them with special care. The cardboard was brittle and dusty after being in storage at the SGC for so many years.

Among a small collection of cherished mementos, there was a group of old family letters and photo albums that had belonged to his parents. He had found them in Nick’s room at the nursing home. As his only living relative, they had called him to take possession of his grandfather’s personal items. They were left behind after the old man had gone to spend the rest of his days with the giant aliens. Daniel told his doctors that Nick had died abroad in his native country. The SGC had provided him with a Dutch death certificate to settle the matter.

Nick often did things by half measures. He had preserved these precious objects but had never shared them with his grandson. Daniel no longer cared. He simply relished being able to see his family again. He looked down at the photo of his young parents, smiling in the shade of a desert tent. Between them an ebullient blue-eyed toddler basked in their focused attention. He wish he could remember that shining moment when the world was perfect and safe.

Daniel carefully placed the few things left of his family’s history into new archival containers that would protect them, at least for a while, from the ravages of time. He looked for the one family photo and set it aside. His parents should be close to him, in this room, in this new home.

The crisp black boxes found a place next to the journals.

If he looked more carefully in the storage rooms at the SGC and in his office, he might find a few more books that belonged in his home library. But for the moment, his library had been unpacked. Daniel looked at the books he collected over the years waiting for him in orderly rows. Their calming presence transformed the room into a safe space alive with ideas, rich histories, and creative possibilities.

He passed row after row in loving review.

 

===


	3. Neighbors

 Map of Pueblito by Solstice0612

 

“Jack, if I need to go the White House to make my case, I will.”

_“Please, look at the big picture, Daniel. We need their support.”_

“If you can’t guaranteed that we’re left alone, we’re leaving.”

_“Come on, where are ya gonna go? It’s not safe out there.”_

“Because you make it so safe down here.”

_“Look...”_

Daniel got up and walked away from his desk, the frustration with the phone conversation visible in the way he moved his right hand to make his points.

“No, you look, Jack. Last time I saw Teal’c he told me there’s a permanently open position for me at Chulak’s Chamber of Educators. They’re doing amazing stuff. In fact, he wants Sam and Janet there too. Did I say really amazing stuff?”

_“That rat bastard! This is a brain drain. No, worse! It’s brain nabbing. Pure and simple. I’m gonna have to talk to him.”_

“Good luck with that. He may have a few chosen things to say to you.”

Jack’s voice came through the phone as calm and friendly--an exercise in discipline, no doubt.

_“Daniel, I know you’re pissed. But please, give me some time to fix this mess. You haven’t even been in town for two weeks. Besides, things are difficult on this end too, ya know? You’re all gone, I’m the only one trying to hold the fort here!”_

“Excuse me!!?”

_“Oh, you know what I mean! I’m the one putting the face out here where decisions are made and I’m getting it pounded into the ground. Between the Lucian Alliance attacks and this year’s budget cuts things have been rather brutal in DC.”_

“Oh.”

_“So.”_

“Ok.”

_“Right.”_

“Then, we need a meeting.”

_“Yeah, sure.”_

“But in the meanwhile, I want the NID off our back.”

_“Right. Meeting. Let ya know.”_

“Soon.”

Daniel put the phone back in his pocket and reached for his coffee cup siting on his desk. It was empty. Was there anything going right that day?

Then he remembered. There were no more coffee filters. He had used a paper towel that morning. Honestly, some days.... They had been in Pueblito for over a week and supplies were running dangerously low. He had planned to go out with Janet but life got in the way.

Or rather, Dr. Mel Hedwig did. Right after his visit Janet became withdrawn. It was understandable that certain memories would be more difficult to process than others. Daniel did not want to pry but wished he remembered the details of the interview better.

Janet was apathetic and Daniel was busy working on the final revisions for the treaty proposal for Semira, written in two different ancient Near Eastern languages, each combined with Goa’uld.

Neither he nor Janet had involved themselves with the house for the last few days nor made much progress moving in. Except for the kitchen, his office and the library, the house remained practically empty. In those rooms where there was any furniture, most of it was still pushed against one corner or another.

Last night at dinner, Janet’s mood had gotten slightly better but the struggle to process emotions was still close to the surface. She made coffee, prepared meals or ordered in, and had spent most of her time staring out into space. In the last couple of days, she began to spend some time writing on her laptop again. He guessed she was once more processing the incessant waves of memories flooding her mind in a more constructive way. Daniel was not sure of how to help.

He understood the sense of release that came with writing. He had often poured the unvarnished truth into his own journals. But there was so much pain inside Janet’s small frame that he was afraid it would take her over. He didn’t want her life to become just an exercise in expiation for sins she hadn’t chosen to commit.

Janet needed to live in the present as well.

Daniel blamed himself. He had promised Janet a home but he had provided her with little more than a roof over her head. He considered his options. In fact, he considered his responsibilities in the matter. It was time to settle down, to accept he was there to stay. He owed her at least that much.

He walked around the house considering what else what was needed. A trip to the supermarket was in order.

Daniel didn’t want to leave Janet alone. He made a mental note to test their security to see if it was, well, secure.

Would Janet be ready to go out and see this brave new world?

He opened a desk drawer, ruffled through some papers until he found a brochure he received about Pueblito and looked at the map of the small, secluded neighborhood. Something about the streets nagged at him from the back of his mind but he couldn’t identify what. It would come to him.

He took out his cell phone and made a call.

When he was done, he decided it was time to talk to Janet.

 

===

 

Holding hands, Janet and Daniel left the house. They took Leonard Lane down to Marge Avenue and turned east until they reached Simpson Square. The restaurant, along with the bar, had nice outdoor seating on the side that opened onto Homer Boulevard.

Lunch would be first, then shopping. Just a normal thing to do on a sunny Saturday.

Janet was more animated and smiled at him. Daniel felt he had made the right decision in convincing her to come with him; at least he hoped so.

They sat at a table outside, in a quiet corner shaded by large white umbrellas. The early autumn morning was pleasantly warm. From the table they had a panoramic view of the grass lands where Pueblito sat under the spectacularly deep-blue sky above them. Across the well-manicured flower beds of Nahasapeema Garden that surrounded the restaurant, they could see the light-colored siding of one of the two-story apartment complexes in the south part of town. The sharp shadows of the overhead sun enhanced the geometric lines of the modern architecture.

“When we moved in, I got a short report from Jack about the town. It was very sketchy. I hope you don’t mind, but we’re meeting an old acquaintance who lives here. I trust him so I hope he can let us know how things are around here.”

“Doc, is that you?”

Both Daniel and Janet looked up. Charles Kawalsky. Daniel gave an immediate smile to the slightly older quantum alternate of the man he had met so many years ago.

“Charlie! I heard you were in town! Thank you for meeting us.” The men hugged. Even though they had never met, the history they somehow shared created an easy bond.

“Good to see you, doc! Are you living here? Are you a ....?”

“I’m local, and yes, new in town,” he said casually. Quickly added, “I don’t believe you had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Janet Fraiser. Our Dr. Frasier was CMO at the SGC for several years. Janet has recently come to us from an alternate reality.”

“Welcome to the Twilight Zone, Doc. I didn’t know our Janet very well but I heard very good things about you. Well, you know what I mean.”

Janet gave him a small smile. She understood the confusion. “Thank you. Likewise. Call me Janet. Please sit with us.”

Like Janet, Kawalsky had come through the quantum mirror. He had never been a host, a disgrace that in his reality had befallen Daniel, who did not survive extraction by Dr. Warner. Earth was soon invaded by the Goa’uld, but a few folks escaped through the mirror. Carter had found it and brought it to her lab.

“By the way, have you seen Jon O’Neill?” asked the former airman.

Daniel looked at Janet, calculating in his mind if the story of Jack’s clone was part of her past experience.

“Loki, a rogue Asgard, cloned Jack around six or seven years ago. Except that he made a copy that was considerably younger, still in his teenage years.”

“He’s a hoot,” smiled Kawalsky. “He runs the Arts’R’Us shop on Homer and Groening North and works at the school. Art teacher.”

They shook their heads. Jack, an artist?

“I saw the children playing in the yard. Doesn’t seem like a large group,” said Janet with a sad smile.

“We’re a rather small community. The residents don’t go beyond 300 people,” said Kawalsky.

Daniel took out a brochure from the pocket of his dark grey hoodie. With the help of the map, Kawalsky gave them a detailed account of who was living in the town. Janet did not seem to mind. She sat back and relaxed into his explanation. Who else had been trapped here in this pretty suburban prison?

“The NID keeps this place very isolated. There’re a number of off-world refugees.”

“I thought they were sometimes temporarily housed out west in Area 51. I guess I was wrong.”

As it turned out, Janet and Kawalsky were not the only ones who had come from an alternate reality in which Earth had been devastated.

“Two dozen Marines came together through the inter-dimensional mirror in the late 1990s. They’re all pretty good guys. They were able to stay because their local counterparts had all died in an ambush during the first Gulf War. In their alternate reality they had been assigned to the SGC and then a Goa’uld fleet showed up. But you know how it is. Their families and friends mourned them as war heroes. How were they gonna explain that they were all back from the dead? Once they figured out they couldn’t replace their local selves, they settled in Pueblito.”

The Marines had taken over two apartment complexes. Kawalsky tapped with his finger on the map over the blue areas along Bailey, Blinky, and Selma Lane on the east and south part of town.

“They live there together with their new families. They married people working at the base or others that were living here or in the Springs. Some are still in active duty at the SGC. Several retired and work here in town as firemen or paramedics. Two of them, Ernest Marshall and Tony García run the car repair shop on Homer.

There were others.

“The first off-world residents are Jaliska of Aneber, who was rescued on Chulak, on that first mission when Teal’c came over to our side, and Thanet of Cantus, who came from Nassya (P3X-382), another planet the Goa’uld took over. Two families came from Eudora. Like all the rest, they thought they were safer here. The NID welcomed them with open arms and mined them for information.”

Kawalsky took a long sip from his glass of ice water. Then he continued, pointing at the apartments across the garden. “The most recent arrivals live over there. There are around two dozen folk who came here through the gate escaping the Ori. You may know some of them.”

Daniel nodded, wondering how many people that were still here would have preferred to go home to their own planets.

Kawalsky pointed to the north west corner.

“The clinic, hospice and dentist office are on Lisa Lane, on the other side of the square.”

“What’s in this area?”

Janet tapped the map on the section where their house was located. No blue squares in that neighborhood.

“Janet, you and the Doc live here, right?”

Kawalsky did not wait for an answer. News traveled very fast in Pueblito.

“Well, you’re in the fancy part of town! Apparently, Pueblito was first conceived as high-security living quarters for the SGC. They built larger homes in this section for the top brass and VIP civilian consultants. As you know, they all declined and chose to live in the Springs, so that idea was quickly nixed.”

“Nyan, the Bedrosian guy, and myself live on Flanders Street. Nyan works at the library next door and I work at the school. I’m the coach! The school is here on Skinner Lane.”

Janet took a sip from her iced tea and looked at Kawalsky.

“Charlie, how do you like living here?”

“I’m pretty happy, Janet. My wife Sonia and I are expecting our second baby. Life’s good, you know, for the most part.”

Telling looks were exchanged and understood. The landlord left something to be desired. Given the strange lives SG-1 members led, Daniel wondered how they ever escaped relocation to Pueblito. Somebody must have been looking over their shoulders or else they must have more pull than he thought. Something to ask Jack next time….

After taking a bite of his sandwich, Kawalsky continued with his map-based tour.

“The guest homes behind you on Groening East are usually empty. South of me lives Sarah. You know her, right? Dr. Sarah Gardner?”

Daniel nodded and returned his attention to the map, pushing thoughts of their complicated history to the side.

“So, next to her is Captain Kevin Eliott and on this side of Marge Avenue lives a new person who came in recently. Mr. Nimrod. He used to be Ba’al’s host. Nimrod is having a hard time adjusting. He’s always a bit restless. He tried staying at the hospice,” he tapped with a finger on an orange area north of Simpson Square, “but he said that was not for him. Not sure what he’s up to these days, but he has interesting tales to tell, Doc. You should talk to him. At any rate, stores are concentrated around the square. The supermarket is right there,” he signaled across street.

“What’s in this area?” asked Daniel taping on the east side of Marge Avenue.

“That’s NID central, Doc.... Municipal Hall, security, the lot.”

The silence that followed was telling. They ate quietly until the meal was done. Afterwards, they walked back to their neighborhood together, Kawalsky talking with pride about his children.

At home, Daniel and Janet picked up his red Jeep and drove via the perimeter road to the Supermarket. Cleaning supplies and some basic food items were the first steps towards properly setting up their home.

 

===

 

Janet was trying to fit everything into the cupboards. The kitchen was roomy enough but the cabinets were too high for her. She went to the library and pushed the rolling steps along the dark hall towards the back of the house.

The phone began to ring. With a final push she made it to the kitchen and grabbed the phone.

_“Janet?”_

“General?”

_“About the supermarket incident earlier today... we need to talk.”_

Janet sighed.

“Sure. How about dinner here, General?”

_“I was hoping.”_

“Yes sir. See you at seven.”

Janet hung up and massaged her painful arm.

She grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table to reconsider the cupboards and the still full shopping bags. Instead, her mind went elsewhere.

Earlier that afternoon, Janet had been looking at a supermarket aisle full of coffee brands that were vaguely familiar. A guard dressed in black appeared as if out of nowhere and stood to her left.

“I need to see your identification card.”

“It’s at home,” said Janet, after turning around to face the tall, dark-haired man.

“Newbies… I guess you need a few pointers on how things work in this town.”

He made a grab for Janet.

“She doesn’t need to show you anything,” said Daniel, stepping between Janet and the security guard, the cold steel of his unblinking eyes sucking all the air between them.

The guard did not bother to hide the look of recognition when Daniel confronted him. “Listen, unless you cooperate we’ll have to escort you both to the Security Office. I need to see both your IDs. Now.”

The man reached beyond Daniel and grabbed Janet’s right arm. Her eyes widened as the man painfully pressed his fingers around her forearm. She tried to free herself from his grasp but he pulled ruthlessly, knocking over a few glass jars of instant coffee. Janet twisted her arm, pulling it free. The guard moved forward to pursue but Daniel once more blocked his movements. He quickly glanced at the man’s name tag.

“Bernstein, right? You have no authority whatsoever to detain us.”

“Look, you both better come with me.”

“I don’t think so. We’re doing our shopping and we don’t want to be disturbed. Bernstein, I suggest you go on your way. Now.”

The guard reached for Daniel, but quickly found himself lying on his back on the floor, his black uniform catching the ground coffee that his fall had dispersed all over the aisle floor.

Hiding his rising fury, Daniel shook the dark grains off his sneakers and carefully sidestepped over the astonished and rather confused man on the floor. Without rushing, he selected a bag of coffee filters and then picked a bag of the Colombian coffee Janet liked. Taking her by the hand, he walked away without further comment.

“Paper towels are not the most ideal coffee filters,” said Daniel, not wanting to give the NID guard the satisfaction of a hasty departure. On the next aisle he looked at Janet. She was rather pale.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, but why was he asking me for my ID?”

“Not sure. Let’s talk about this at home, okay? What else do we need?”

Janet took a look at the long list with unsteady hands. He was about to ask her if she would rather go home when they heard a male voice.

“What seems to be the problem?”

Behind them stood the Security Guard Michael Bernstein, coffee still clinging to his pants, and a second man in black uniform, Chief of Security Andy Teufel.

“You should ask him, Chief Teufel. We gave no provocation,” said Daniel, after reading the man’s name tag.

“I understand you refused to show your ID?”

“We don’t have to.”

“Yes, you do. Come with us. Do not resist.”

While walking out, Daniel pulled his cell phone and hit the speed dial.

“Jack? We’re being arrested... no nothing, just shopping… Yep, a Chief Teufel and a guard called Bernstein...   Exactly... uh, well, you know, a bit, but not too much... Sure.”

He gave the phone to Teufel. “Here, this is for you.”

The man was surprised. He hesitated but took the phone and listened for a few minutes. The smug look disappeared from his sharply shaven face. Without a further word, he returned the phone to Daniel.

“Mickey, let’s go,” he said giving a pointed look to the guard.

“But he attacked me!”

“Now, let’s go.”

They turned around and left without a further glance, offering Daniel and Janet no explanation or apology.

In the quiet space of the kitchen, Janet wondered if she had done the right thing returning home to this Earth.

 

===

 

Janet, Daniel and Jack passed the serving dishes around. They were seated at a very long walnut table in the dining room.

Not very hungry, Janet played with her food, moving pieces of penne pasta around her dish. She wished the mood was better. This was the first time they had sat at this nice table, in this nice room but circumstances did not seem auspicious.

Daniel had talked her into setting up the dining room that afternoon. They had laboriously pushed the heavy table from the entrance foyer all the way to the back of the house. Turned on its side on top of thick blankets that protected the wood floor, it was a cumbersome piece to maneuver.

After wiping the sweat from his brow, Daniel laughed.

“You know, this could be a new kind of workout. All you need to do is move this piece of furniture around the house once a day.”

“Daniel, why did you get such a large table? There’re only two of us...”

“In Nagada, we had communal meals around a fire every evening. I miss that feeling of belonging, of sharing food with family and friends.”

“I’m so sorry Daniel.”

“That’s okay. It was so long ago. Don’t you want to make friends here?”

“Not sure Daniel. For the moment a quiet, solitary life suits me fine.”

“I may have been overly optimistic when I got this table.”

The three diners huddled together at the end of the long table closest to the fireplace. The rest of the reddish board extended its emptiness into the ample room, emphasizing their insularity.

The tension running through the conversation did not help matters.

“Jack, it’s been more than 15 years since I began working for the SGC. You know better than anyone the things we did to protect this planet. Does it seem fair to you that we have to end our days stuck in an internment camp, treated like enemies, our freedoms stripped away? How can you let this happen to us?”

Jack sighed.

“Daniel, you’re exaggerating.”

“Am I?” Daniel tried not to raise his voice but it became more intense. “The NID goons are constantly trying to monitor all our communications. We can’t leave or enter the town without checking with security. Apparently, we can’t move through town without being checked by security. They harassed us the first time we walked out of the house. We are to show our ID’s at any time, for no reason. If this isn’t a prison, I don’t know what is.”

Jack looked at Janet. While she did not avert her eyes from Jack’s, as if in tacit agreement with Daniel’s words, she preferred that they worked through their issues without her interference. She remained silent.

“Look Daniel, General Hammond is gone. We have no idea what happened here. I must admit, I really don’t know that much about this place.”

“Jack, all the streets are named after The Simpsons.”

“Ah, well, yes. I knew about this place long ago. But back then our parade was always about to be rained on by one Goa’uld or another. Then Jon settled here and he wanted to make changes. There was a big fight about it with Kinsey and then I lost track of things.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about this place? It’s been here for almost 15 years. We could have done something about it.”

“First, I thought Hammond told you about it. Second, the Ori showed up and we got really busy. Or I got really busy in DC. Whatever. I didn’t want you fighting on two fronts at the same time.”

“Now, I’m forced to live here under some weird kind of suburban prison, along with some of our best allies who are considered nothing but useful pawns.”

“You don’t have to stay, Daniel.”

“And then what? What? You think I’m gonna turn my back on Janet? Or on the other folks here?”

That Jack had done just that went unsaid.

“You heard what happened today. They tried to arrest us.”

“You know how security is... they’re always a bit heavy handed.”

“A bit. They already knew who we were! It was harassment. Janet, please show him.”

Reluctantly, Janet raised the sleeve of her white shirt. A blue human hand was stamped on her right arm.

“Janet, I’m sorry.”

Daniel insisted, “The town is in the hand of a bunch of thugs. I mean, who are these people?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“It is very simple. The NID has to leave town. I want them away from here and out of our lives.”

“Look, I agree. But we can’t just jump in and clear the town. Too many people here.”

“Exactly! I’m not sitting on my hands!”

“Daniel. If we make a mistake things could get considerably worse.”

“Is that a threat?”

“For crying out loud! Do I need to remind you of how many times we rushed in and things blew-up on our faces?”

Daniel raised his eyebrows and pressed his lips together, stopping whatever sarcastic he was going to make.

“You said it, Daniel, you’re not alone. Janet is with you now.”

Daniel frowned, closing his eyes for a long moment.

“Now you see the wrinkle. How about this? I snoop around DC to see who is pulling the strings. You get me more intel on what’s happening around here. Okay?”

Daniel looked at Janet. She looked down, stubbornly silent. She instinctively knew that this was an old fight and not really about her.

“Jack, Janet and I are not staying here unless things change and you guarantee our safety. And by that I mean the knowledge that we live in a reasonably safe town without around-the-clock surveillance on our backs.”

“Listen, I’m on your side, but this may take some time. Agreed, we need to change things but you need a comprehensive plan. So come up with one and I’ll support you. You know I always do, right?”

Daniel looked at Jack and let the silence hang between them.

 

===

 

The uniformed server came quietly with a tray holding after dinner drinks. He placed it on the square coffee table and left the room, closing the door behind him. The five chairs, upholstered in supple dark leather, were close enough to the low table that drinks could easily be passed around in the privacy of the richly appointed room.

Two tumblers with whiskey, a shot glass with Italian grappa, and two snifters with cognac were claimed by the members of this diverse group. The laughter that sparkled their conversation indicated a good mood rooted in familiarity, satisfaction and excellent fortune.

These three men and two women were indeed very rich, their power based on their control over a vast array of pharmaceutical research and production corporations whose businesses involved not only a good portion of the globe but also a significant segment of the US economy. They were intelligent, resourceful, and unscrupulous when necessary. They had been fierce competitors in the business world for long enough to appreciate each other’s company and the value of strategic alliances.

The conversation finally came to the point where everyone was relaxed and ready to discuss business.

“Nevin, how are things going with our AMEBA project?”

Everyone smiled. As their project was off the record, they choose a humorous acronym. The man who posed the question was Nile Hedwig, CEO of Marks, a multinational conglomerate and brother of Dr. Mel Hedwig. He relaxed on his armed chair waiting for the update that was to come from Nevin Shaw, an African American who was their host and CEO of Angel Bioengineering.

“Nile, things are on track but, as expected, moving very slowly. We’re among the few civilians with any knowledge of the Stargate program. My brother Mel says that they have powerful technologies unfamiliar to us that keep the SGC as a deep secret. We must operate in ways that perpetuate their secrecy as well as ours in order to protect ourselves. People who create problems for the SGC have a way of disappearing no matter how powerful they are. I only need to remind you of Robert Kinsey, Alec Colson and Joe Faxon. All people we knew well and who are now gone.”

Shaw slowly drank from his tumbler before speaking.

“We must be patient. We have some people in place who report to us regularly, so we must continue to gather on occasion to share their intel. If we are to prevail, we can’t use technology at all to communicate. As you all know, Nile’s brother Mel has some access to the SGC and to a restricted community in a town called Pueblito near the SGC, where many aliens are housed.”

“Robert, in his usual hyperbolic style, told me the place was ‘a ghetto full of freaks,’” said Dr. Jiao Lee, the Asian American CEO of Biser, another pharmaceutical giant.

Hedwig maintained a calm, professional exterior.

“Mel has seen and verified the medical files. The people living in Pueblito may be from other planets but they’re all basically human. However, they may have knowledge useful to us.”

“For all of you who don’t know,” said Lee, “General Robert Dunpolt is my brother-in-law. We were able to have him appointed head of the NID very recently. He’s in our corner and plans to give us access to information. Yet, we must proceed with great caution. I don’t entirely trust Robert’s perspective.”

“He must curb his bigoted views. It’s not good for business. We need somebody with a clear head. What we are doing is dangerous enough,” added Juan Lopez, CEO of Ellia, one of the largest bioengineering companies in North America.

“I agree,” said Molly Black, CEO of the well-known Abby Laboratories. “As a lawyer, I can tell you that we’re breaking a good number of laws with the harshest penalties in the land. I’ve been wondering if we really need to be doing this.”

“We have already debated all this,” said Lopez. “We need direct access to new biological resources and uncomplicated testing grounds.”

“Besides, even when the SGC willingly shares their finds, the authorization to develop the product takes a long time. That Mongolian anesthetic took seven or eight years,” added Shaw.

“The economic downturn hit all of us very hard. The new UN legislation on biodiversity, not to mention the increasing drag of the US Food and Drug Administration has greatly limited our access. We really need new avenues. We can wait, certainly, but we can help things along,” said Hedwig.

“So, what else do you have to report?” asked Black, getting the discussion back on track.

Lee put her glass down.

“Robert told me a new person arrived in Pueblito. Her name is Janet Fraiser. She used to be a doctor with expertise on rare deseases and all kinds of medical conditions they found off-world. She worked for the SGC many years ago as CMO until she was taken prisoner by a race of aliens. I don’t know the details, but she’s back and apparently has learned much about medical technology. Robert and Mel are working together and keeping a close eye on the situation. I told Robert that we could learn a great deal from her.”

“Mel confirmed this and the fact that when PODUS increased funding for off-world biomedical research Mel was consulted several times. He grew up around daddy’s chemical plants, so he’s quite comfortable with the industry even though he likes to dabble in psychiatry,” said Hedwig with an amused smile. “There is something about reuptake inhibitors that fascinates the man.”

“Perhaps Robert and Mel can find a way of speeding things along with Dr. Fraiser,” suggested Shaw.

“Dr. Fraiser has powerful friends on and off world. We must be patient but we’re also very resourceful,” said Lee with a thin smile, “I know Robert Dunpolt can be a jerk, but he’s military and understands how to work the system without unnecessary disruptions. If he indulges in any excesses it would not only compromise his command but also situate him as the perfect fall guy."

 

===

 

After Jack left and Janet went to bed with a book, Daniel went downstairs to his office. He woke the computer from its electronic sleep and booted XOLrec, the unique linguistic recognition program they had developed at the SGC, which helped reading and writing off-world languages once they were entered into the database.

He researched several samples texts from Semira that were written in two ancient Near Eastern languages infused with Goa’uld vocabulary. He was looking at legal terms and idiomatic expressions to be used in a treaty he was preparing for his next mission with SG-9. It regulated the conditions of exchange of technology and cultural resources between Earth and the two nations in Semira, the Akkadian speaking Nims and the Kuruks, who spoke in Sumerian.

After considering the results, Daniel went back to the three-language treaty proposal and made the necessary adjustments, but doubts remained. He was not quite sure how to word a particular section of the treaty regarding scientific exchanges. Usually the SGC requested authorization to collect agricultural samples but the resident phytochemist insisted that they should have broad access to all local plant life. This was not a clause previously used in SGC treaties. Daniel was concerned that it could be perceived as a land grab, so he struggled to find the proper words that opened exploration without challenging ownership. It was a slippery slope.

Daniel decided he should consult with General Landry about this before they returned to Semira. Such broadly defined interest in botany had not been pursued very much since Dr. Lee’s fast-growing plant had practically taken over the base, with the exception of the few missions they undertook to eradicate Kassa, the drug the Lucians were using to expand their control of the galaxy. But in the last year or so, he seemed to be getting more practice in drafting treaties that opened up bioengineering research.

He looked at the mission roster for SG-7 and SG-8 on the SGC website and noticed their scientific missions had more than doubled in the last year. Their level of resources rivaled the kind of budget SG-1 had once had.

Wondering about these changes and having gone as far as he could with the treaty, he closed the relevant documents.

As he always did before going to sleep, he double checked the activity log of their home security shield.

Before Daniel and Janet moved in, Sergeant Siler had come to the house to set up a link for their cell phones and to install a new shield technology Sam had sent them from Atlantis. The Sergeant had come twice to install the shield apparatus and a naquadah generator in their attic. He made sure the system was working properly and was accessible through their home computer. Daniel did not completely trust its protective effects and he checked it every day.

He scrolled down the log showing numerous attempts to penetrate the shield. They were getting creative. They even tried to send listening devices through the water pipes but the shield instantly recognized and neutralized unregistered devices. But for how long would this protection last? New technology was routinely found off world.

The cell phone, on the desk next to computer, began to vibrate. Daniel picked it up.

_“Hey”_

“You okay, Jack?”

_“Yep. Back in DC. Having a beer, relaxing before I hit the sack.”_

“Odyssey?”

_“Hammond.”_

“Handy way to get around. Is this a secure call?”

_“Yabetcha. Daniel, stop worrying.”_

“We’re not safe using cells. I know that the shield and the satellite have enough rotating encryption algorithms to guarantee our privacy until the end of time but does it really? How do we know?”

_“Only Hammond and Thor knew about this communication satellite. And they are both gone. The NID will never find it or be able to use it in any way. Only the eight of us can. Nine if you count Siler.”_

“The NID gets around the galaxy. It’s only a matter of time until they find a way to break through our walls. The satellite was supposed to be SG-1’s last line of defense. Do you see the irony?”

_“Yeah, but still I need more time to figure things out in a discreet way.”_

“Do you want to know another irony? Under different conditions, Pueblito could be such a nice neighborhood. I could see myself growing old here, not too far from the SGC.”

_“You ready to throw down roots?”_

“I was thinking about Nagada today, the evening communal meals. They were so wonderful.”

_“I thought you guys were struggling after Ra.”_

“A bit. Getting organized was tricky but the Abydonians were good people and so full of hope. That world was ours for the taking. We may’ve been struggling but I remember it mostly as a happy time, full of light and laughter. I had a beautiful wife and people who accepted me. It may sound corny but I miss being cherished. I’m glad that I got to experience that before everything turned to dust.”

_“Abydos was special. I miss it, too.”_

“I only brought it up because I don’t want things to get screwed up. I don’t want to experience that kind of staggering loss again.”

_“I understand, Daniel. I just need some time to look into this NID thing, okay?”_

“I trust you, Jack. I really want this. I’m getting close to 50 and I feel I have nothing to show for it.”

_“What about the Gate, the SGC and yada yada…?”_

“I mean at a personal level. Everyone has kind of gone their own way: Atlantis, or Chulak, DC or whatever. I’d like to settle down with Janet and have some peace. I’m tired. We’ve both been through the ringer. I don’t want to have to begin all over again on a new planet.”

_“So you and Janet…? For a while I thought that Vala… well, you know.”_

“We tried, but didn’t work out. Too bad, I invested a lot on that friendship but that only made things worse. So, no.”

_“Yeah, I can see things turning out that way. So you and Janet…?”_

“We don’t… you know? I mean, I do love her but we’re just housemates. The thing is, she feels like family and these days, that’s good enough for me.”

_“I guess I understand the value of that. Not exactly the family patriarch over here.”_

“You know where to find us, Jack.”

_“Thank you. I mean it.”_

“We’re supposed to be family.”

_“You sound disappointed.”_

“To be honest, I’m a bit. We have to fix this place.”

_“I guess I dropped the ball. There weren’t many complaints for the last few years, but still, I should’ve checked.”_

“Things have changed.”

_“Duly noted. Well, I gotta go. Early call tomorrow and is getting late.”_

“Good night, Jack. Thanks for calling.”

_“Any time.”_

Daniel sat in the quiet room considering the shape of his disappointment. Long ago, Jack would have taken command of the situation in Pueblito and stayed put on the problem until they had a firm plan of action. Is he getting too old for all this, too jaded, too powerful to remember how it felt to be trapped and with few options?

He realized that for the foreseeable future, Janet and he were on their own. Janet, who was struggling to find her way in very rough seas, as the emotional upheaval of her past as a host was now compounded by the constant NID interference.

She was family, and his place was by her side. Maybe one day she would be ready to be closer to him. He could only hope.

In the late hours of the night, in the quiet space of his office, Daniel felt a bit abandoned. He chuckled sadly. Solitude was such a familiar territory for him that he wondered whether trying to form lasting links with people was even a good idea. At the end, it was just him, Daniel, and whatever needed to be done.

He turned off the light and went upstairs to bed.

Sleep did not come. Thoughts kept running in his head in an endless loop.

In the dark, Daniel felt somebody coming into his bedroom. He tensed.

“It’s me,” came a familiar voice.

“Get in.”

Alone in the house, the two lonely inhabitants often shared a bed when sleeping. They had no other motive beyond friendship and comfort. Two ships seeking safe harbor in the middle of the night.

Daniel spooned around Janet and they both quickly fell asleep.

 

===

 


	4. Confessions

 

A light rain began to fall over the warm strips of pavement and the small patches of lawn that peppered Pueblito. The parched surfaces quickly absorbed the bouncing droplets, leaving behind the heady smell of water floating in the air.

Janet breathed in deeply the perfume of fresh rain. Oblivious to the drab light coming through the open windows, she sang along to the music that saturated the room.

“And I want to wake up with the rain / Falling on a tin roof / While I'm safe there in your arms…”

Daniel discovered that Janet liked Norah Jones, so he had downloaded one of her CDs onto her ipod, now resting on its electronic cradle.

She stretched the black blouse on the kitchen counter, one of the several items she had gotten earlier in the week at Chapel Hill Mall. Retail therapy had always been fun, but it was not as great as getting out of the house for a whole afternoon. She was more of an indoor cat, but seeing the world outside Pueblito strengthened her ties to this reality.

With a pair of scissors Janet carefully cut all the price tags and brand labels from the various garments. Didn’t these folks know how labels irritated the back of the neck? She laughed. This small rebellious gesture on behalf of her own body brought her a deep sense of satisfaction.

She brushed her bangs away from her eyes and tucked her hair behind one ear. Maybe it was time to find a salon in town and get a haircut that made her look a bit girly.

Suddenly, she remembered Daniel’s hands on her hair, softly pulling it up as he let his playful lips wander, with deliberate slowness, over the soft skin of her neck. He was such a generous, sensual lover.

The sweet erotic memory soon turned into the dull ache of regret for her lost lover. Janet impatiently pulled off the corners of the label that remained stubbornly attached to her new pink and gray pajamas.

“I like your PJs.”

Janet blushed at bit. She had not heard Daniel enter the room.

“Thanks. I thought guys usually preferred frilly things. Don’t you?”

“Ah, well, uhm... actually, I don’t know what I like. I’ve been alone for so long that….”

It was Daniel’s turn to blush. He seldom did; but he felt a bit self-conscious about his monkish lifestyle.

Janet placed her new clothes in the washing machine.

“Daniel, I’m done here for a while. Are you ready to finish up the living room? We should do the curtains first.”

Grabbing the ladder from the pantry, Daniel wondered if this might be a good time to talk about what to do about Pueblito. They were settling into the house. Was this a sign of permanence, or just something to do to pass the time? This might end up being a difficult conversation and he did not want to ruin Janet’s good mood.

It had been almost a week since the meeting with Dr. Hedwig and the traumatic experience had hovered over Janet like a toxic cloud. Daniel appreciated that she had worked hard to overcome the anxiety and find a constructive routine that included becoming more engaged with the house, writing in her journal, and regularly using the small gym they had set up upstairs. Even the nightmares that often plagued her sleep were beginning to abate.

Blocking NID intrusion into their lives had become an increasingly critical factor. Thus, closing their windows to the unrelenting surveillance had risen to the top of their to-do list.

With the ladder under his arm, Daniel walked around the new curtains laid over an old blanket on the living room floor and opened it next to a window. On the opposite side of the house to the library, the living and dining rooms reached all the way to the back veranda. The minimal furniture and the tall windows that opened to the gallery gave the living room an airy feeling.

Neither of them cared too much for home decorating. For Daniel, setting up the library was one thing, but he was happy to pick whatever else was necessary out of a catalogue. They had little furniture and both preferred things simple. Working methodically, they hung the curtains and arranged the furniture around the chimney, set between pendant book cases. Their empty white shelves and the bare mantle piece waited silently to be claimed.

Once done, they looked around. The room was nice, even if still empty of the human touches that speak of a life lived and a space shared. The sheer curtains, shimmering with the silvery light of the sun setting behind the clouds, blocked any prying eyes.

Janet plopped down on the off-white sofa as Daniel turned on the gas fireplace. Its red reflections bathed them both in a warm glow. Sitting next to Janet, Daniel grabbed her hand.

“Janet, I think this may be a good moment to discuss a few things I found out about this town.”

Janet smiled and put her feet up on the coffee table, waiting for Daniel to speak his mind.

“I’m not sure that Jack can really help us. His hands may be tied because he’s in such a visible spot. So, I called an old friend, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Davis. He works at the Pentagon and is in a better position to dig around. He gave me a lot of information about Pueblito.”

Janet nodded for him to continue.

“This is what we know. Pueblito is an incorporated municipality, charted by the State of Colorado and the Pueblo County. We have the right to elect our own officials. At one time, all the properties belonged to the private contractor that build the town. The need for public services forced them to incorporate. Eventually, the SGC bought the contractors off and sold the properties at cost to the people who lived here. The Pentagon authorized transferring the title of this house to us as a bonus payment for services rendered.”

“This house is in both our names?”

“Yes. This house is ours for free. It means we can just leave it behind if we feel we have to go elsewhere. No big deal, okay?”

“Don’t you wanna stay here?”

“Not sure. It’s beginning to feel too much like the friendly side of prison.”

Daniel flattened Janet’s hand against his leg with his warm palm and caressed her stretched fingers. He dropped his head for a moment and gave a side glance to the expectant woman next to him.

“Janet, how would you feel about us doing something to change things in this town?”

Janet felt a sudden rush of anxiety. Daniel pressed his hand against hers in a protective gesture and spoke in soothing tones. “I understand that all this may be too much for you. That you went through a terrible ordeal. But this is where we are at the moment. I need to be able to do something now so we can live in peace later if we decide to stay. Or we could just leave. We can always go to Chulak. Or somewhere else.”

“I wish… I just wanted a bit of peace and quiet, you know?”

“Janet, if that’s what you want, we’ll leave. I don’t believe they’ll leave us alone if we stay.”

“This place feels like home. You’re right. Perhaps we should try to make things better. If we can. I really don’t have many options, do I?”

“We have a few. We can go into hiding, we can go to a different planet. Confronting the NID can be dangerous.”

Janet put her face in her hands and remained silent for a few minutes. Daniel waited patiently until she was ready.

“Daniel, I’m not sure how much help I can be with this situation but I’m tired of being pushed around. If I have to fight for my peace and quiet, so be it. We’ll do whatever is necessary to defend this place. But you, Daniel, you can go anywhere, why be trapped here? If I must leave Earth, I will, but I wouldn’t want you to be forced to abandon your whole life.”

“I was happy once living... living off-world. But you remember what I told you, right? How I feel about you? I’m not leaving you. You’re my family. You’re my home.”

Janet closed her eyes for a long moment absorbing the emotion in Daniel’s words. She was so tired of controlling her feelings, as if she were still hiding them from The Monster. She simply couldn’t live like that anymore, and now there was so much at stake. Something had to give.

Daniel kissed Janet’s hand and got up.

“I’m going to make us some hot chocolate. I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”

Janet nodded, appreciating how he instinctively knew that she needed to wage her inner battles at her own pace, not his.

She got up and went to the window. She grabbed the raw silk of the drapes and felt the textured surface. The delicate greyish-blue hue was as different from Nirrti’s taste as she could get.

Her mind returned to the man working in the kitchen. Daniel believed in her strength, even when her faith faltered. How could she not trust him? She had to recognize openly the depth of her attachment to this breathtaking man who was willing to take on impossible enemies to protect her. It was time to face up and let him decide before things went too far. At the end, she might not be judged worthy of taking all these risks.

Janet hesitated, feeling a sudden chill. She walked to the chimney and rearranged the fake logs over the gas appliance, making sure the flue was open.

Sitting back on the sofa, the former host looked at the flames dancing in the growing darkness. Everything was in constant change. In these uncertain times, Daniel was the strongest presence by her side. He was no longer that young dreamer she had met a lifetime ago, but a mature man who had seen too much. He gave her a home, a place for her to imagine the person she could be. She was so grateful for his love and protection. But was she ready to reciprocate?

Daniel made intimacy seem so easy. He was so accepting. And, oh, god, he was so attractive. Janet catalogued in her mind a slide show of stolen glances: Daniel’s blond and red highlights sparkling in his short hair; his soulful eyes that sometimes were blue, and sometimes something else; his sensuous lips, curving in a loving smile. She remembered noticing a wrinkle on his supple skin and following its path down the side of his face. The vivid recall gave her vertigo. This man was beautiful inside and out. Now he wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around her.

His physical presence was chipping away at her high walls, dissolving her reluctance to allow anyone close enough to see the wounds left by a decade as a host. Who would want to see that? Could she ever tell Daniel what she had done?

She did not deserve him. It was not fair that he, of all men, should love her.

Daniel came back into the room and set the steaming cups on the table.

He sat, resting his head on the sofa and waited, passively submitting to Janet’s vivid, dark eyes that carefully studied him. He glanced at her. The delicate shape of her cheek flushed slightly as her generous lips curled into a shy smile.

To Janet, their intimate silence was a precious gift. She felt lost, yet at the same time she wanted--no, she needed--to move forward. In the end, she decided honesty was the best way out of her dilemma.

“Daniel, I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing by telling you this…” The words died on her lips. Her eyes filled with tears. She looked at him, getting lost, for a moment, in his accepting gaze. “I’m keenly aware that I have selfishly trapped you with me in this house, in this town. I’m not in good shape. Not yet.”

“Janet, let me be the judge of what I want or need. Please, sweetheart, don’t decide for me,” he whispered.

“I’ll be as truthful as I can. I’m in love with you, Daniel… the person I met in the Tok’ra home world. Right now, this is not a good thing. I’m still confused about who we are and trying to sort out contradictory feelings... There’re very bad things in my past that you don’t know and that I’m not ready to discuss. But I daydream about a life with you. Whether this will give us any kind of happiness, remains to be seen. How can I love anyone, when I don’t even know who I am?”

Daniel pressed her hand against his thumping chest and gave her a reassuring smile. “Janet, you can have all the time in the world. The most important thing is that we are friends and will always be, no matter what. Just let me stay with you. Let things between us settle down and take their slow course, wherever they are meant to go.”

“I’m not doing you any favors.”

“You’re too hard on yourself. You need time to heal, Janet, and I’m not here to judge you. The heart wants what it wants.” Daniel’s lips shaped into a lopsided grin. “Besides, I don’t want to be happy, I just want to be with you. Honest.”

Janet laughed at Daniel’s absurd sense of humor. “Okay, we can be miserable together,” she responded in kind. Part of her soul felt lighter for the weight she had unburdened. Yet, there was so much more that weighed on her mind.

“Yeah, that’s the spirit!”

Daniel left his cup on the table and relaxed back onto the sofa. Janet moved closer and he gingerly wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Janet, for what is worth, I’m no prince either. Just ask Jack. He says I’m the worse kind of nagging wife.”

Her silent chuckles made Daniel smile.

At that moment, as the two friends sat next each other, in their half-empty living room, in the flow of ordinary life, things felt right.

“Janet, do you feel it? It’s like the planet shifted on its axis. I have this feeling that we’ll be okay together. Even in this prison with a friendly veneer, we have a chance to find a bit of happiness.”

Janet smiled, feeling comfort in Daniel’s certainties.

Daniel leaned over and gave Janet a kiss on her smiling lips, soft enough to be a shy invitation, but lingering enough to be a promise of much, much more.

Janet found relief in his slow, unrushed sweetness. Some memories were just too close to the surface, but his physical proximity felt like a safe harbor. She raised her dark vivid eyes to look at Daniel’s, allowing herself to get lost in the love shimmering in the blue crystals. He kissed Janet chastely on the forehead, his serous face lending a sense of sacredness to the gesture.

“For as long as you want me, Janet, you are my home. And this time, nobody is going to take that away from us.”

In the chimney, the flames swayed in their endless dance, leaving the couple to relax in their comforting intimacy. They spoke softly about everything and nothing, making plans for the house that was becoming their home. Even when the conversation drifted to more serious matters they could not stop smiling and finding reasons to lightly touch each other in the most tender of ways. They were awkward, and a bit amused by their sudden shyness, and their primal need to caress a cheek or ruffle a bit of hair just to affirm their closeness and growing openness to each other’s touch.

Outside, the rain fell in the dark garden, dripping its natural music down the gallery roof.

 

===

 

The doorbell startled Daniel as he worked in his office. He quickly pulled down a menu in the computer to look at the security video from the front porch. He frowned.

Without delay, he went to the door.

“Sarah!”

Standing alone in the morning light was Sarah Gardner. Behind her the southwestern-style gardens looked refreshed by the rain that had fallen the day before.

Daniel invited her into the foyer.

“It’s good to see you again, Daniel. Charlie Kawalsky told me you were living in town. I’m so sorry I sort of disappeared on you. I thought I’d drop by and say hello, welcome you to Pueblito. I’d like to be a better neighbor that I was a friend.”

Daniel gave her a warm hug easing the tension between them.

Sarah looked well, just like her old self. The blond curls still fell around her round face like a soft halo. However, the jeans and simple white t-shirt gave her tall figure an air of informality.

They settled down to talk in the library. Taking his cell from his dark green plaid shirt, he glanced at the security app, which told him there were no listening or recording devices in the area. He liked Sarah all right, but still, security was paramount.

“I think I understand your silence a bit better now that I’m here in town….”

Daniel left his sentence trail off into uncommitted territory.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to let you know where I was after my rescue. I was content living here. There are worse places to go.”

Daniel got her message. He proceeded with caution.

“It must have been hard to get back to normal life.”

“I never really did. Nobody wanted to help me explain my long absence and I had been declared dead. I lost everything. My home, my research, my books. All gone.”

“I understand better than you know. I lost life and property a few times myself.”

Sarah blushed remembering how she had given Daniel the cold shoulder when he ran out of grants and was evicted from his Chicago apartment before he joined the SGC.

“However, I was never gone for as long as you were,” he added reassuringly.

“I call them my 40 months of horror. I had a hard time recovering from my abduction so I had no fight left in me to change anything. At any rate, things are what they are. I made a new life here, which isn’t bad, considering.”

“This is a rather strange place.”

“One better discussed elsewhere.”

Daniel instincts told him that Sarah was just another trapped soul in Pueblito, yet he wanted to know more.

“So, what do you do these days?”

“I’m a mom. My daughter Amelia is two years old. My husband, Martin Greene, is a surgeon here.”

“At the local clinic?”

Sarah’s smile shone openly.

“Yes. We met there when I was going to therapy. He’s wonderful. I work at the library with Nyan of Bedrosia; he told me you both met. We live around the corner on Marge Avenue. I’d like to invite you and Dr. Fraiser to dinner soon, if that’s okay.”

“Thank you Sarah. I’ll ask Janet. You met her local counterpart, right?”

“Yes... I was sorry. She was so kind and helpful when I was liberated. If you don’t mind, I’d like to return the favor and leave with you the card of my therapist at the clinic, Dr. Yralee Warris. She has helped me a great deal. If Janet wants to find out more, please don’t hesitate to call me.”

Sarah pressed the card into his hand.

“By the way, Daniel, while you didn’t know about me, you may have seen some of my work.”

“I have? Where?”

“I have been doing translations for the SGC for several years now. Like, for instance, the treatise on subsistence farming from P8X-412, a planet ruled by Qetesh you visited with her former host.”

“For an isolated town, news travel quite freely.”

“Yes, it can, but this information was actually in the report I was send to translate.”

“To tell you the truth, I thought they were outsourcing translation work to Area 51.”

“No, that work usually gets done here. We have so many native speakers.”

“Oh. Well, it was very professional work.”

“Thank you. I learned a lot of languages when I was off world. It was one of the very few things I did not regret about being out there.”

“I can’t think of one single thing I didn’t regret in my experience as Nirrti’s host.”

Janet had been working in setting up her bedroom upstairs. With her hair pulled up in a ponytail she stood in the door to the foyer.

“She was particularly ruthless, I understand,” responded Sarah getting up.

Daniel took care of the introductions.

“We have something in common,” said Sarah.

Janet eyebrows went up before she could stop them. Sarah smiled.

“What I mean is that I was a Goa’uld host too. I took the liberty of giving Daniel Dr. Yralee Warris’s card. She is the counselor who helped me the most.”

Daniel felt like a third wheel. He excused himself and let the two women speak in privacy.

“Would you mind if I tell you a bit about my experience? I don’t want to impose, but it might be of use to you.”

“I was a host for ten years. That’s a long time.”

“My imprisonment lasted three years. Not as long; it is true. But I was able to rebuild my life sooner than I thought it possible. Osiris was a Goa’uld with many appetites and indulged often. Service under Anubis was particularly hellish as his depravity knew no bounds. Dr. Warris helped me to separate myself from Osiris’ actions and validate myself not as a silent partner, as my captor liked to presume, but as a completely unwilling hostage. I know sometimes the Goa’uld allow hosts to act on their own. But Janet, we were in control in the same way a mouse is free to run and be pursued by the cat that torments it.”

Janet’s eyes went wide.

“We were forced into impossible choices, made to go against our better instincts, and taunted until we lashed out and became violent, just so we could feel we had some sense of agency left and hadn’t yet fallen into an abyss of total despair. Does this make any sense to you?”

“Yes.”

“I know that what you endured is highly personal, but Dr. Warris understands the context. She has treated several former hosts. There is no shame in seeking help and trying to move forward.”

All this was a lot to process. Janet liked Sarah’s directness and her willingness to share. A lifetime ago, when she was a doctor, she had often recommended therapy for PTSD patients. She had believed in it, but the enormity of her past experiences scared her. Yet, she was actively recording them. It would not be too much of a stretch to visit Dr, Warris and see if she was any good.

“Sarah, are you okay now?”

“Yes, reasonably so. I have a family that keeps me grounded, a pleasant job, and the protected environment suits me. The NID left me alone once they got bored with me. The SGC regularly consults with me on translations so, considering the options, we are fine.”

“Do you miss your old life?”

Relaxing into her chair, Sarah answered the first question of what became a longer conversation.

Daniel brought the two women coffee but did not stay. Instead, he went to his office, sat down at the computer, and opened the security software Sam and Sergeant Siler had set up to access even the deepest layers of personnel files. He checked Sarah’s and that of everyone she mentioned. They all appeared to be legitimate. He wished he had access to the NID files, but they were off limits and he was not an experienced hacker. He would need help with that.

Daniel trusted Sarah, but not completely, not with Janet’s life. The fact that Sarah had fooled him a few times, even before she became a host, did not do much to inspire his confidence.

Yet, he was intrigued by Dr. Warris. How close was the therapist to the NID? He and Janet should go to the clinic and check things out. If she was legitimate she might be able to help Janet. Security issues had left them with few options in terms of medical care.

Of course, Janet had to be willing.

 

===

 

“Chief Teufel, I have some activity to report in the Jackson residence.”

Then man held a powerful set of binoculars in front of his eyes. He sat at a window in the non-descript house that served as NID Security Post in the northeastern corner of the town. In front of him there was an open view of Daniel and Janet’s house.

“Go ahead,” said the voice in his head set.

“Ms. Greene has just arrived at the residence.”

“OK, log it in. Any luck getting audio?”

“No sir. The most recent mics inside the curtain rods have failed to return any audio. If I may ask, how did the power test go last night? I haven’t had a chance to check in with Mr. Bernstein today.”

“Well, it worked, but only in part.”

“How so?”

“Now we know that the house is connected to an independent power source. We also tested audio with varying degrees of proximity to the house but the closer we get the more the equipment goes silent.”

“Very effective interference technology.”

“And very annoying. We need to figure out a way around it. Keep an eye on things and let me know if there is any change.”

“Yes sir.”

 

===

 

“Dr. Jackson, we feel it’d be best if we were to handle the machine. You have little experience with it.”

Daniel opened the case sitting on the briefing room table at the SGC to take a look at the Galaran memory device.

“You are mistaken, Dr. Hedwig. I met the inventors and learned directly from them how to operate the device.”

“We made some modifications.”

“I’m quite aware of the changes you made.”

“How are you planning to use the device then?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. As originally agreed, we’ll give you a written report of our findings once a month, especially if you submit any written questions.”

Dr. Mel Hedwig pushed his chair away from the conference table and stood up. General Landry, Dr. Lam, and Daniel remained seated.

“You now have custody of this device. For the record, on behalf of the NID I raise my professional objections regarding these mental hunting expeditions of a subject with PTSD without expert medical supervision. It could cause terrible damage to Dr. Fraiser.”

“You should have followed you own advice, Dr. Hedwig. We no longer trust you to keep Dr. Fraiser’s interest above your own.”

“What are you implying, Dr. Jackson?”

“That the way you used the device was unnecessarily harsh on Janet. It took her several days to recover.”

“Desensitizing the subject is a necessary part of the treatment. Any difficulty would be temporary and can be easily treated with the appropriate medication.”

“Dr. Fraiser made it clear that she wasn’t seeking treatment from you and that she wanted a different approach to this kind of debriefing. The patient’s wishes should be paramount.”

“Sometimes patients don’t know what’s best for them.”

Dr. Lam had had enough. The SGC medical staff prided themselves on protecting their patients the best they could. She was not going to turn her back on one on their own, no matter what alternate reality she was from. This was Dr. Fraiser, a colleague and an honored member of the SGC. She stood up.

“Dr. Hedwig, we thank you for your concern, but given Dr. Fraiser’s wishes, which she made clear to me on several occasions, I'll personally address any medical consultation she requires from now on. I’m quite familiar with the Galaran machine and will supervise its use if necessary.”

She gave a pointed look in the direction of her father, who suddenly cleared his throat.

“Yes, I agree with Dr. Lam.”

Outgunned and outnumbered, Dr. Hedwig picked up his briefcase and left, with an airman following close behind.

“Thank you all for your support. It means a lot to us,” said Daniel.

“Dr. Jackson, we’re on your side. We’re not quite happy with the way things happened. Today we prevailed. We’ll try to support you and Dr. Fraiser the best we can. It would be much simpler if she were an SGC employee. Please keep that in mind. Today was just a temporary victory.”

“Yes sir. We understand.”

Daniel picked up the device and headed for his office. He wanted Sergeant Siler to take a look at the machine before taking it home.

 

===

 

The sun was still shining bright when Daniel turned right on Krusty St. and pulled into the garage at the back of his house. He got out, closed the gate, and entered the house through the discrete paneled door in the dining room. He looked into the kitchen and not seeing Janet, he went to the library.

She was there, her feet up on the coffee table and the laptop balancing on her legs. After they had bought the sofa and padded chairs set, she had taken to working in this room. The soft light that filtered through the translucent curtains was pleasant, and both enjoyed each other’s quiet company. Daniel usually worked on his projects at the large table, surrounded by piles of books that spread over the length of the table and onto nearby chairs.

Janet had given him a small rolling table with shelves, in which he placed his laptop and the most relevant materials for whatever project he was working on. The thing followed him around the house like a hungry dog since he worked no matter where he was, only stopping to spend time with Janet.

He put the memory device on the table, near Janet’s feet, and sat next to her.

“We can have it for a while.”

Janet did not seem very enthusiastic.

“We fixed a few things. We toned down the volume, so to speak. We made the automatic recording optional. We disconnected all the broadcasting mechanisms that had been added. It was a moot point, since nothing will get through our home shield, but if we took the machine outside the shield, then whatever was in there could be accessed remotely. Now, it can’t. It’s safe and at your disposal to use whenever you feel like it and share with whomever you want.”

“Daniel, I’m not sure what to say.”

“How about, ‘it’s okay if we eat dinner early’? Sorry, forgot to have lunch today.”

“Oh, honey! We’ll order out whenever you are ready. Chinese?”

“I knew I liked you for a reason.”

Janet punched him on his arm but then she pulled him towards her.

“Thank you. You make me feel so safe. I can’t tell you how much this means.”

“Any day, sweetheart.”

He got lost in the intensity of her dark eyes and barely noticed when Janet’s thumb began to play with his bottom lip. Eventually, his body woke up to the pleasant sensation and softly pressed his lips around her finger for a moment.

Janet ran her hand over the stubble on the side of his face, bringing it to rest on the back of his neck as she drew him even closer. She molded her lips onto his and nibbled their fleshy caffeinated sweetness.

He responded with an easy hug. He didn’t want to rush things. Wrapping his arms around Janet, he pulled her closer, his tongue teasing the line that curved itself into a smile. Janet parted her lips and Daniel floated into the overwhelming sensation of kissing this woman as if she were the most delicious fruit to be tasted, explored, caressed and slowly swallowed.

For a moment, there was nothing else but the powerful, intimate connection, like two bodies intertwined, floating in a deep, dark, hot river. They both knew how to kiss and breathe comfortably, so they could kiss for as long as they wanted--minutes, hours, or as Daniel joked, until they found their desiccated bodies mouth-locked. Eventually, Daniel pulled back, right before the sweet kiss became transformed into something else.

He wanted Janet to be ready for him, to choose to make love to him rather than simply tumble into the act in the heat of the moment. There was plenty of time for that, for letting passion take over in wild abandon. He understood Janet needed to get there on her own and share her body as her own personal choice.

He looked into her eyes, still closed and kissed her long eyelashes, the smooth roundness of her cheeks until she returned from wherever the moment of physical pleasure had taken her.

“Hmmm....”

“Enjoying yourself?”

She laughed lightly. “Yes. I did. It was the first time that I was able to kiss you, and it was just you and me, no one else.”

He noticed the sadness in her eyes. “We’ll get there.”

“Daniel? There is something that’s been weighing on my mind. Something that happened between you and me, I mean between my Daniel and me. I have a great deal of trouble moving passed this. I’ve been wondering if sharing this with you might help. Or it could totally ruin everything. I’m just….”

Janet sat up, bringing her feet closer to her body. She wrapped her arms around her denim-covered legs.

“Janet, why don’t we begin by you telling me what it is, and then we’ll go from there.”

“I’m just so afraid it will make you hate me.”

“I promise. I will never turn my back on you.”

“I’m just… afraid.”

“Sweetheart, I don’t want to force you if you are not ready. But you can always trust me. I’m a rather forgiving person. Ask Teal’c. He’ll tell you.”

Daniel turned to face her, grabbing her hand and making it warm between his. Janet took a deep breath and nodded. He then lean towards the table and grabbed the crown-like interface and passed it on to his partner. He took the other one and adjusted it over his head. Janet sat back on the sofa letting her feet slide down to the floor. She closed her eyes, taking deep calming breaths.

“I’m ready.”

Daniel reached towards the machine and turned on the recording device. Images bombarded his mind and he fought a wave of vertigo. He sat back on the chair and tried to relax.

“Janet, where were you when things happened?”

Vivid scenes of the busy SGC infirmary filled his inner vision. For a moment, Daniel felt as if he had been dimensionally shifted by some kind of crystal skull. Slowly, he adapted to the sensation of looking at the world through Janet’s eyes.

Young Cassie was on a bed. She was pale and her skin was covered with sweat in spite of the cooling blankets that surrounded her unconscious body.

“You must help Cassandra now if you want to survive this day, because you are of no use to us,” said Jack, holding a Beretta to Nirrti’s head.

Unafraid, the tall, darkly dressed woman stood at the foot of the hospital bed. Her eyes were cold and calculating.

“I will help you if you let me go. You must bring the child to my laboratory immediately or she will die soon. Your pitiful tools are of no help.”

“If you cure her, we’ll let you go.” Daniel heard his own voice come from somewhere behind him. He noticed his own uncanny hand resting protectively on his shoulder--no, Janet’s--but did not allow the strangeness of the feeling distract him from the tense scene.

“So be it. We must go now or she will not survive.”

All the monitors, blinking red dots indicating the severity of the situation, flashed in front on his eyes.

Suddenly, a mad rush took Daniel through the halls into the embarkation room. He followed the gurney up the ramp, through the clear blue wash of the Gate, and into the vaguely familiar dark forest that waited on the other side. He saw himself take the child in his arm, run with the group towards the spot with the transportation rings. Teal’c kept his huge hand around the Goa’uld’s neck as they were transported to the underground lab. Daniel recognized this place.

“Put the child here,” ordered Nirrti to the other Daniel with an imperial gesture, “and give me room to work. You, healer,” she pointed towards Janet, “help me place this device over the child. It must be perfectly aligned with her spinal cord or it will cause permanent damage.”

Daniel experienced Janet’s body move closer to Nirrti, her arms, still covered on the standard white coat, turned towards the unwieldy metal frame.

Without warning, the metal framed jerked in the air and Daniel felt Janet’s body stumbled sideways, but by the time she had fallen down a flash of light and a set of transporter rings had shifted the ground to a dark stone tunnel.

Daniel waited in the blank darkness until Janet opened her eyes and blinked. She was awake and began moving through the dream-like corridor. Nirrti was not around, but the other, younger Daniel was there calling Janet’s name. Her body moved quickly towards the open arms, but the embrace never took place.

From the right, a white covered arm rose, the fingers gleaming in gold, the hand encased in a richly decorated ribbon device. A blinding reddish ray emanated from it bringing the younger Daniel to his knees. Eventually his eyes--each perfect blue orbit an island of fear--lost focus and froze. All life gone from it, the body collapsed. He saw himself dead, his light brown hair brushing the dark, shiny leather of the graceful pump shoes.

The vision ended abruptly. Daniel opened his eyes. Next to him, Janet took off the memory device. She looked sad and her face wash ashen. Troubled, he waited for her explanation.

“By the time I realized what was happening, Daniel was on his knees in front of me, hopelessly trapped in that deadly ray. He looked at me with so much fear in his eyes. He knew he was dying. All I could do is scream and scream, but nobody heard me. Nobody, except Nirrti, who drew a great deal of pleasure from my abject grief. Daniel was dead at my feet, killed by my own hand. I could do nothing but watch his lifeless body, the light gone from his eyes. I hoped it was a nightmare, a virus-induced hallucination, some kind of crazy alien machine. But after a while I couldn’t lie to myself any longer. I was a host and I had killed Daniel. I killed you, Daniel. For all intents and purposes, I died that day.”

Janet swallowed hard and dried a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“Nirrti quickly abandoned the planet without healing Cassie, my sweet baby. Apparently, Sam must have tried to help but the incomplete healing process triggered the same virus in my beloved daughter that killed her parents. Nirrti knew it would work out that way. By the time Cronus’ fleet came to pillage what was left, most of the population was dead from the plague. During that time and for many years, I existed as if walking through a field of glass shards. No matter in what direction I turned the results were pure agony.”

“Janet…”

“Daniel, please, let me finish. I know you love me, but I’m a shadow of the person I used to be. I’m making peace with this new person I’ve become but my burden is heavy. I no longer have the energy to hide the fact that I was the reason everyone died.”

Daniel place his hand on her arm and rubbed it for a moment, a small gesture of quiet support. The woman nodded as tears pooled in her eyes.

“Janet, did you choose to be Nirrti’s host?”

“No, but I should’ve been more alert. I put the needs of my child above everyone else’s safety.”

“Did you go to the planet with an escort and with the proper authorization?”

“I guess I did, but they felt sorry for us.”

“Janet, in our reality we bargained with Nirrti and after she helped Cassie we let her go. General Hammond was a good man, but believe me, if he thought the risk was unacceptable, he would have sacrificed anyone, including Cassie. In fact, he tried to do just that when we first found her and she became a ticking bomb.”

“Yes, I had forgotten how conscientious he was.”

“If you could, would you have chosen to save everyone?”

“Yes, but...”

“Were you ever able to have full control of your body and of the symbiote inside you?”

“No, I couldn’t. Not for long, anyway. But I should have tried harder to self-destruct for the sake of so many planets.”

“Why do you torture yourself thinking you could’ve done anything? You were overpowered and defeated. Janet, I’ve never seen or read about any host who was able to push a Goa’uld into death, except, maybe for the Tok’ra. Was there even a Cimmeria in your reality?”

“Yeah, I tried that, but Nirrti knew exactly what the place was. It really bothers me to think of myself as so helpless a victim.”

“And Nirrti must have used that to make you feel guilty and despondent, so as to better control you. Janet, I’d never blame you. I’m pretty sure that if your Daniel was afraid, it wasn’t for his fate, but for yours, sweetheart. I’d be devastated thinking about how desperate and sad you’d be. That part I understand well. And for what’s worth, Janet, I’d forgive anyone doing what they can to save their kids, even if things went very wrong. It’s our human nature to sacrifice it all for our children. I even understood Amaunet’s desire to hide Shifu.”

Janet’s tears began to flow. She spoke through her sobs.

“I needed... you to know... that I killed Daniel with my own hand.... My Daniel.... I’m sorry Daniel, so, so sorry.”

Janet said no more, tears falling from her closed eyes. She fell into an emotional fog, her mind drifting into a dark viscous sadness.

“Oh Janet. It’s okay, you did nothing wrong. You didn’t kill Daniel. You just had the misfortune of witnessing his death by the hand of a Goa’uld.”

Daniel comforted the woman sobbing in his arms the best he could.

“I’ll be back in a second.”

Daniel got a box of tissues from the bathroom and when he came back, Janet had regained a bit of her composure. He sat next to her and spoke in a soothing tone. “I know you loved your daughter and Daniel with all your heart. You’d never do anything to harm them, in fact, you were willing to give your life for them many times. You knew there was a huge risk going off-world and you paid the worst price. Don’t let Nirrti take away from you the sacrifice you made for those you loved. My Janet died the same way, giving her life to save someone else’s. That’s the kind of person you are and will always be.”

Daniel’s words of forgiveness, of acceptance of her most painful secrets pulled Janet out to the surface.

Janet raised her eyelids, swollen by the sadness, and with a dead gaze looked at the man patiently sitting next to her. His unshed tears reflected the light from the windows behind her. There was in his eyes a promise of limpid skies and sunny days, of happiness and love. Signs of life slowly returned to her blank stare, as her spirit rose from the painful molasses of past memories into the light. After ten years of constant betrayals, it was not easy to trust again. Yet, she had been given an extraordinary gift. Through mysterious ways, the universe had given her back Daniel and, more importantly, a chance for redemption. Could there be a better sign of good things to come?

Janet’s eyes sparkled with some kind of understanding, as her body reacted to a reclaimed sense of determination by perking up her spine, and squaring off her shoulders. She suddenly looked like a woman ready to do whatever work was necessary to reach for a better life. She had Daniel’s support but her own tenacious resolve would be unbeatable.

Janet smiled, her core of inner strength animating her gesture. Sharing such a huge burden with Daniel had removed another emotional barrier between them.

Daniel moved closer and gently nudge the side of her nose with his. There was something shining in her sad eyes that he identified, with some surprise, as pure happiness.

Maybe Janet was ready to begin living again.

“Has anyone ever told you have the most beautiful soul? I can see it in your eyes,” she said.

Daniel blushed. Life was certainly good to Janet today.

“Daniel, I can’t thank you enough for your extraordinary support. I want to go see Dr. Warris. I want to be well. I want to be ready for a productive life. You give me so much hope.”

She hugged the man who responded in kind. The realization that they had turned a difficult corner together bound them emotionally tighter. They reveled in the feeling of comfort and closeness.

After a while, Janet pulled back, her lips curling slightly.

“Daniel, I know this is not the most appropriate thing to say, but…

“What, you gotta pee again?”

She punched him lightly in the arm.

“No! I’m hungry!”

“Oh, good. I was beginning to think your bladder had a thing for me.”

Janet giggled, her eyes still moist with tears.

 

===

 

After dinner, Daniel often liked to settle in the library to do a bit of work. Janet sat down at the coffee table and began examining the memory device Daniel had brought home that afternoon. She wanted to use it again the next day.

Seated at the long table, Daniel bit the end of the pencil while his finger went down the terms listed in the glossary at the back of a large volume. He felt Janet’s eyes on him but continued browsing until he found the right definition.

Drawing a circle around the term he had not understood, he continued to trace a long line to the margin of the computer printout under his fingers. At that point he wrote down a few words taken from the definition. The paragraph now made more sense. Satisfied, he forged ahead. He glanced towards the other end of the room and noticed that Janet was also busy.

After an hour or so, Janet put the memory device back in its box, relaxed comfortably on the sofa, and looked a Daniel working at the table. She let her eyes wander over his attractive features and athletic body. He glanced at her and gave her a bright smile that warmed her all the way to her toes.

He got up and came to sit next to her.

“Did you need anything?”

“Oh. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just looking at you working. I like watching you. You’re easy on the eye.” Janet blushed.

“Thank you. So are you.”

Janet blushed even more, then thought of something. “I remember my nurses were always keeping taps on my reality’s Daniel. Does it bother you all the attention you get? You’re so good looking.”

“I’m used to women and some men, to be honest, staring at me. I do notice, you know?”

“I imagine that you are too well-trained in behavioral patterns to be too much of an absent-minded fool.”

“I just play dumb to avoid sticky situations. I was a bit clueless when I first arrived at the SGC but I got good advice from Sam. She sat me down and told me I was what people consider physically attractive; that I should be smart about it if I was going to survive in the military.”

“You two must have had some interesting conversations.”

“We didn’t mean be conceited, but at the same time we needed to find ways of being responsible and careful with our looks, both on and off world. Beauty sometimes can overwhelm people and can be used as an effective weapon. It makes it easier to attract attention when the others need to work through things unnoticed.”

“I can sympathize with that, actually.”

“Yeah, but sometimes it can backfire.”

Daniel swallowed hard letting the bad memories pass before continuing.

“It can be dangerous to inspire desire without fulfilling it. In a base full of alpha males and females, some people don’t take disappointment well. Sam and I watched each other’s back to stay safe in places like the shower or by detecting and avoiding the worse douchebags at the base.”

“It’s ironic that being attractive can actually make you feel isolated.”

“I had Sam and my teammates. You learn to seek those people who treat you like a whole person, who may feel some attraction, but keep it to themselves out of respect. Most folks are like that. Except for Vala, who made sexually taunting me an art form. She was in a different category by herself.”

Daniel laughed, thinking all the crazy things she had tried on him.

“It must have driven you nuts.”

“A bit. I played dumb, she played vixen. It was just another defensive mask for both of us until we got tired of the game. That’s why I liked you… my Janet so much. She was different.”

“How so?”

“As my doctor she had a different relationship to my body. She knew it better than anyone at the base and was caring but in a professional way. From the very beginning, even when I was still married to Sha’re, I found her bedside manners very restful and totally hot. At any rate, that’s a cycle that closed a long time ago.”

Daniel cupped Janet’s face with his hand. She leaned onto it.

“Janet, I think my attraction to you personally came from our physical and emotional closeness. We went through some tough times together and it allowed a rather intimate bond to form. We are good together.”

“Do you mind when I look at you? I can’t help it. I don’t want to stare, but there I am, feasting on you. I feel bad sometimes.”

“Do you mind when I ogle you?”

“No, I like it. I feel wanted and cherished.”

“It’s really the same with me. Your eyes on me make me feel loved and valued. It makes me happy that you like me as I am, you know? The whole messy package. Not a familiar emotion for me. I’m just grateful.”

Daniel got up and extended a hand to Janet.

“How about if we go up and cuddle for a while?”

“I’d like that very much.”

They left the room hand in hand. It was late and sleep was calling.

 

===

 


	5. Descent

 

“On certain chosen planets there was a day dedicated to Cronus imparting justice. Rebels and discontents where brought from everywhere and were almost invariably put to death. As the goddess of destruction, Nirrti personally oversaw the executions by tossing the condemned into a bottomless pit they called Cronus’s Maw. Such fate may sound harsh, but it would’ve been merciful. The pit was in fact a transportation device that took the falling victims into underground research labs, where they became test subjects.”

The memory was still fresh in her mind. Janet had seen it through the memory device the day before. Daniel had spent the whole day at the SGC working on the Semira negotiations and she decided it would be a nice quiet moment to give the machine a try. It had not been the best idea. She got lost in her painful memories and then she had cried for hours in the empty house.

She decided that she was not yet ready to use the device alone, that working with a trust worthy therapist would be more productive. Dr. Warris had agreed to open her schedule for this first visit, with the understanding that regular sessions would follow.

In the comfortable office of the therapist, Janet spoke quickly, her mind’s eye turned inwards. The effort of remembering disconnected her from her surroundings. She looked around the room but did not registered much of what she saw. Scattered around her were some photos, a couple of landscapes, and a large poster of Ryder’s _Moonlight Marine_. Two ships, in the night. She continued her narrative, as her eyes distractedly traced the painting’s sinuous lines.

“Following the Day of Judgment, either out of faith or fear, the officials in these imperial hubs always prepared a lavish Kronia festival in Cronus’ honor. The executions, the culling of new subjects and the feast put Cronus and Nirrti in a good mood, so they retired to their chamber together until Nirrti left for her underground lab. It was a yearly occurrence observed in a number of planets under their control. She didn’t much care for playing goddess or public displays.”

Janet stopped to take a sip from the warm tea mug she held on her hands. She stared at the poster, letting her mind go back to those dark days. She had explained all this before, but somehow the repetition had lessened the difficulty of her narrative.

Dr. Warris gently pressed her to continue.

“Unusual. I understand the Goa’uld are prone to displays of grandeur.”

“Nirrti was happy to let Cronus take the credit and enjoy his lotars. She preferred to remain in the shadows, plotting ways of eliminating large tracks of population. She knew that without her Cronus’ empire would crumble. Only the threat of total annihilation kept people in check in his vast territories.”

“I see. How did Cronus and Nirrti get together? They have such different mythologies.”

“Cronus and Nirrti had a marriage of convenience. They met at a summit and coordinated their fight against the Asgard. The Asgard were never able to defeat the Replicators in the Ida galaxy, so in my reality they had limited interactions with the Milky Way. Given the power of the Goa’uld and their constant internal struggles, their alliance was a convenient solution. Nirrti needed protection while concentrating on her obsessive research, and Cronus needed the powerful weapons she provided.”

Janet played with her empty cup. Dr. Warris waited patiently in silence for the narrative to continue.

“Occasionally, theirs was also a marriage of pleasure. Those two understood each other. By the time Nirrti took me, they had been together for a long time so on some planets their mythology had become intertwined. Cronus condemned and Nirrti punished. As an agrarian figure and father to other gods, Cronus brought life and Nirrti became the apocalyptic destruction that cleansed and purified the world. She thrived on terror.”

Janet felt silent once more until she resumed her story. “Nirrti was rather obsessed with carrying her actions by stealth. Her invisibility made her feel powerful over her unsuspecting victims.”

“Do you think that’s why she took you as a host?”

“You mean because I’m small?”

“Well, I was also thinking because you were in the military.”

“There were many reasons, but yes. I was always good at sneaking unnoticed through barriers but I think she also saw my medical training as a plus.”

“What did you mean by a marriage of pleasure?” asked the doctor, bringing the conversation back to the track Janet seemed to be avoiding.

Janet put the tea cup down and grabbed a dark red pillow from the sofa where she sat. She wrapped her arms around its plush form and considered her answer. She knew she had to talk about this. With a deep breath she schooled her mind into what it had been once a familiar clinical perspective. She needed to take objective distance from the painful realities of the past.

“Kronias put Cronus in a good mood. The festivals usually led to sexual intercourse. Nirrti enjoyed it but also appreciated the fact that it only happened a few times a year. The level of my discomfort interfered with her physical pleasure. For most things, Nirrti liked hurting me emotionally, but she was curiously irritable during sex. Cronus found this rather tedious, so they fell into a pattern of using Kronia as a mutually agreed sex calendar. Nirrti consumed some form of opioid which kept me pliable for a brief time, but also dampened her enjoyment.”

“How did you...”

“It felt like rape. You don’t need to ask. I’ll tell you, okay?” Janet tightened her arms around the pillow. “I tried to hide, to disappear in the dark, but she needed me to be there, to react, to feel so she could feel. It never worked very well for her, which made her furious. One day, she took out her frustration on a slave, a poor innocent girl. Then she realized she could blackmail me into complying by holding people hostage. At first I obliged, but then I realized she killed those people anyway. They were doomed no matter what I did, so I stop cooperating altogether. After that Nirrti decided to get whatever sexual satisfaction she could and move on. Sex was a low priority matter for her.”

“When it happened, it made me upset, but mostly it made me sad because Cronus had blue eyes, which while different, reminded me of Daniel’s. I missed him. We had become lovers a few months before my abduction, so we hadn’t been together for long. We were in love and in lust and his loss, his death, along with everything else, was devastating to me. My sadness and discomfort during sex irritated Nirrti, so I indulged in this irritation as a way of resisting the abuse.”

Dr. Warris waited for Janet to come to an important point without prompting. At last, she did.

“It’s not that Daniel reminds me of Cronus. They are nothing alike. It’s that whenever we get close, it gets crowded in my mind. We are moving very slowly in all matters related to physical contact. We want to be closer, but things are difficult now. Do you think they’ll improve?”

“I’m sure they will. You’re a very strong person, Janet. If I may ask, in what ways are you reclaiming your body?”

Janet considered how to answer the question. Dr. Warris had her heart in the right place and she was a good listener, but was she the only one hearing her words? Perhaps it was time to discuss options with Dr. Warris.

“Well, a key thing is that I have a home now. I feel comfortable and safe there, like in no other place. I enjoy the empty rooms because they are so restful....”

 

===

 

Daniel sat in the clinic’s lounge, waiting for Janet. On his lap, sat forgotten an open book, his favorite bookmark with the photo of a smiling Nikki still resting between its pages. She was his former neighbor who had taken great care of his fish when he was away. When he went to Atlantis for the first time, he had finally given her his aquarium as a gift, since her children really liked the colorful fish.

He rested his head on the back of the upholstered chair. The lulling warmth of his brown leather jacket was making him too drowsy to read but he was still too anxious to sleep.

He sincerely hoped Dr. Warris could help Janet. After Dr. McKenzie had sent him to a padded room, he had become uncomfortable with psychiatrists and Dr. Hedwig, who had taken control over Janet’s case, did little to improve his attitude.

After McKenzie retired, Dr. Warris had achieved a respectable record of helping people at the SGC. Even the unflappable Dr. Lam was impressed with her fine-tuned instincts for perceiving people’s feelings. Daniel had investigated the therapist the best he could. She had been born in a small planet called Eishe that had been destroyed by the Goa’uld long ago. She was one of the first aliens to be relocated to Pueblito and had been allowed to go to university in Denver. Her level of clearance and understanding of life off-world made her an ideal counselor but in the end, her effectiveness depended on her willingness or unwillingness to collaborate with the NID. Even if she tried to be independent, there was no specific protection from NID surveillance at the clinic.

Daniel interrupted his musings when a nurse entered the room, her lustrous, dark hair pulled back into a long pony tail.

Her big, brown eyes quickly scanned the room. She stood in front of the nurses station and searched through the charts in the active basket, but not finding what she sought she took a quick look at the small appointment chart on the back. That was of no help.

“Lorand, did you see the chart of Amelia Greene?”

A female voice came from the other side of the counter. “Dr. Hedwig has it.”

“Why?”

“Shawdee, I don’t know.”

“Aren’t you coordinating today?”

“Yup.”

“Then?”

“Then what?”

“Why did Dr. Hedwig take the chart?”

“I don’t know.”

“Frankly Lorand, sometimes it’s like pulling teeth..... Okay, let me ask you this. Where is Amy Greene? And don’t tell me you don’t know because you are in charge of the desk.”

Behind the counter, hidden from Daniel’s eyes, Lorand seemed to consider this new question.

“Look Shawdee, this is all I know: Dr. Greene picked up Amy at the school because they suspected she had food poisoning. He and Dr. Smith took her to do some blood work. Then Dr. Hedwig came by and said the chart was needed. Okay?”

“Well, the chart is needed now. I have the test results. Where is Dr. Greene?”

“He should be in surgery by now.”

“He’s not. The OR is empty.”

“So, where is Amy?”

“Don’t know. Really, I... Shawdee, something is wrong again, isn’t?”

“You think?”

“Let me get Norah to cover the desk. Then I’ll go find Dr. Greene, you look for Amy.”

“It didn’t work last time.”

“What do you want me to do, call the police?”

Daniel, who had been listening to the conversation with progressive curiosity, sat up. His internal alarm had gone into full alert. He quickly put the book in his jeans back pocket and took out his cell phone. After a brief contact search he speed-dialed his old friend.

“Sarah, sorry to bother you but I’m at the clinic and they seem a bit disorganized. You know your daughter is here, right?”

_“Daniel, she’s supposed to be with Martin. Is Amy okay? He said it was nothing serious.”_

“I overheard that Amelia had food poisoning but the thing is, they don’t seem to be able to find her. She may be with her dad… but just in case you should come. I’ll apologize profusely if I’m wrong. I promise.”

_“It’s okay; I’m only two blocks away at the library so I’d better go check things out. And Daniel? Thank you!”_

The call may have been premature but like many people Daniel felt that regarding children it’s always better to be safe than sorry. He approached the nurse at the desk.

“Is there a problem with Amy Greene?”

“And you are?”

“I’m Daniel Jackson, an old friend of the Greene’s. Just here waiting for Dr. Fraiser to finish with her appointment.”

“We don’t give out information about our patients.”

Well, not much help from nurse Norah.

“Amy’s mother will arrive in five minutes. You better have some answers for her.”

Without waiting, he turned around taking the corridor to his left. He knocked on doors, checking every single one. He was only met by two frowning adult patients.

He went through a double door into another hallway and ran into two nurses, coming from different directions. He did a double take. They were identical.

“Anything?”

“Nope,” said Lorand before turning towards Daniel. “Hey sir, can I help you? Have you checked in with registration?”

“Oh, hi, I’m Daniel Jackson. I work at the SGC. I’m an old friend of Sarah Gardner, Amy’s mom. She’s on her way to get her daughter. I thought I might help you locate her.”

“How do you…? Unless you have an appointment, this is a restricted area, you should not be here.”

Daniel looked at their tags Lorand Gallander and Shawdee Gallander and ignored their request. “So, you both looked in these two directions, right?”

“Yes, but...”

“I looked in this hallway. Nothing.”

“Oh, but…”

“Listen, you are sisters, right?”

“We are twins, from a pla… a place called K’winz.”

Daniel smiled at the stereo effect.

“I’d love to be more sociable but we need to get moving. With missing kids, one needs to act fast, so if you care for that kid, please help me. NOW.”

“Lorand, tell him.”

“Shawdee, what would happen to us if we do?”

“Tell him!!”

“We don’t even know who he is.”

“We have to tell somebody! At least he isn’t the police.”

“Enough! Tell me now, whatever it is!”

“Another kid disappeared a few months ago.”

“But he came back later,” clarified Shawdee.

“The day he disappeared, I saw Dr. Hedwig take the child into the basement. Nobody believed me and many got mad at me. It was scary.”

“It totally sucked,” said Shawdee.

“Where in the basement?” said Daniel, redirecting the conversation.

“We are coming with you,” responded both women in unison.

Daniel looked at them, his eyebrows raised.

“We want to help,” came the two voices.

The group turned around in search of the stairs. Quietly, they went down the steps. Daniel followed the nurses until they went through the door into a poorly lit hallway. They tried to be as stealthy as possible. In the distance they heard muffled voices.

“Watch my six.”

“What’s that?” came the dual whispers.

“My back.”

The women looked down and sighed.

“Not my ass. Behind you! So nobody can attack us from behind.”

“Oh, sure,” they said, blushing furiously.

“Sorry.”

“We didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

“But, you know....”

“Shhhhh! This is dangerous. Be quiet.”

Daniel was now frowning and wondering if this was a good idea.

“Sorry,” both whispered.

“Should’ve kept your mouth shut.”

“You’re the one speaking!”

“Ok, listen up you two. I know you’re nervous, but zip it. No more words.”

They both nodded. Daniel was by now giving them his best evil glare. The twins looked at him and blinked rapidly.

Shaking his head he turned around and moved swiftly forward in complete silence. Lorand and Shawdee followed and as they passed a rolling supply cart left in the hallway, very quietly they picked up a bed pan and a metal crutch. Thus armed, they continued forward until Daniel made a sign to slow down.

They could hear a child crying softly and two men speaking. As they got close to the door, they avoided the light that spilled into the hallway. They stopped and listened.

“I will not allow you to take my daughter.”

“If you’d rather die, I will oblige, but I would prefer not to kill you. It goes against my principles.”

“Kidnapping, you don’t have a problem with that?”

“We’re only inviting Amelia to stay with us until you provide the information we seek. She will be well taken care of.”

Daniel did not need to hear anymore. They planned to put pressure on Sarah to get to him.

He turned around and signed to the twins that he was going in and that they should try to hit the man in the back. He doubted they would be able to do more than distract the man but that was all he needed. A simple plan.

The twins nodded, both afraid but determined to help.

Daniel looked inside the room. Hedwig held the little girl, seated on a gurney, by the back of her neck, his gun on his right hand not far enough from her strawberry blond curls.

Slowly, Daniel entered the room, apparently the pathology lab connected to the morgue.

“I’m not surprised to find you here Dr. Hedwig. I always thought your beside manners were a bit lacking.”

“Jackson!”

“I think you’ll find that it won’t be so easy to take that child.”

As he spoke, Daniel slowly walked around the room placing himself at a strategic distance from Greene but forcing Hedwig to turn away from the door.

“Look, Hedwig, you have no way to hide three murders or to attack all of us at the same time. It’s pointless..”

“You are mistaken. Nobody will press any charges in this town. You know that.”

Part of Daniel still enjoyed baiting megalomaniacs by waving in their face a little bit of truth and a whole lot of imagination. He could not pass up the opportunity.

“Actually, no. You should check. The NID now only controls part of it. Or haven’t you guys noticed your surveillance equipment can’t touch my home? It’s only a matter a time till the rest of the town is off limits to your henchmen. Besides, I assure you, if something happens to me your game is over. You and your goons will be gone in an instant.”

Concerned, Hedwig began to quickly weigh his options. Should he take the girl or simply take Jackson? He was the real target, after all. He could call for reinforcements. As he tried to reach for his phone buried down his right pocket many things happened fast, although everyone involved seemed to be caught in a slow motion playback.

In his frantic search for his cell phone, Hedwig let go of the girl and changed the angle of his gun. Two sudden almost simultaneous crashing noises interrupted the tense silence. A bedpan, flying in the air with deadly accuracy, reached its unsuspecting target and Hedwig’s head tilted forward in an unnatural way. The powerful blow of a crutch jerked his arm downward pushing his tight grip on the weapon into a sudden motion. Hedwig probably did not hear the gun go off before he hit the floor. The toddler began to scream, right when the bedpan and the crutch fell noisily to the ground. Ignoring the din, the twins rushed to the child.

Once safely in her father’s arms, Amy, unharmed but scared, began to calm down.

Daniel, his mouth still hanging open, pushed the gun away from Hedwig’s reach with his foot and looked at the twins. Both were pale, eyes open wide in fear. Dr. Greene spoke with a shaky voice.

“Thank you all for the rescue… I… we are in your debt.”

“Dr. Greene, they are not really after your family, but after mine. I’m sorry for putting you in this position,” said Daniel, relieved that his friends were not seriously hurt.

“None of us are safe.”

“You are correct. There may be something we can do, but we’ll talk later. Sarah must be looking for you.”

Father and daughter turned to leave, but the nurses lingered.

“If you’re planning something, we want to help,” said Lorand.

“Let us know,” added Shawnee.

“Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind. Please, would you take Dr. Greene and his daughter upstairs? I need to secure Hedwig before he wakes up.”

“We could tie him up and put it in the morgue,” suggested Lorand.

“Oh, that’s mean,” said her sister.

“He tried to kill three people!”

“Yeah, but he is gonna freeze to death.”

“If you let him go, he is gonna come back and send us to the freezer.”

“He doesn’t know who hit him.”

“Oh, yeah, right. So, what do we do with him?”

Daniel was thinking along the same lines. He made a decision.

“Ladies, please go. I’ll take care of this. You did really well!”

“Thank you!” came the stereo response.

As Lorand and Shawdee escorted the Greenes into the elevator, Daniel placed a brief call to Paul Davis. He then tied up the unconscious Hedwig and dragged him into a distant closet in a corner. He took a pair latex gloves from a box and picked up the gun, the spent cartridge—the bullet was lodged into a corner of the tiled floor—and wrapped them in an unused trash bag. He had seen enough cop shows with Jack to know how to handle evidence.

In ten minutes Paul was there, transported by the Odyssey now in orbit.

“Daniel, we’ll take it from here. Time to see what Hedwig is up to. By the way, General O’Neill is calling a debrief on this on board the Odyssey today at 20:00. He said you and Janet should attend.”

After taking the forensic evidence from Daniel, Paul stood next to Hedwig’s recumbent shape and tapped his com. “Scotty, two to beam up.”

Daniel found himself in the hallway alone. The simple plan had worked! He should not be so surprised. Twins had a way of getting around the lords of the underworld, as any good Mayanist would know.

 

===

 

Earth shimmered in space, covered by a black velvety mantle studded with iridescent diamonds. Stationed in synchronous orbit with the SGC, the Odyssey offered a spectacular view of the dark side of the planet.

“I never tire of looking at it,” said Cam to his teammates, standing next to him in the observation window of the quiet mess hall. It was a rare moment when all the members of SG-1 met together in orbit.

Everyone sat around a long table, including Sam, back from Atlantis to see Cassie.

“What did Hedwig say?” asked Daniel with Janet by his side. He was too impatient to engage in social niceties or wait for Jack to open the meeting.

“Nothing of any use. He keeps arguing that it was all a misunderstanding. We could try other more effective methods,” offered Vala.

“We could hold him for a while in the new Alpha Site,” proposed Cam.

Jack flashed Cam an eloquent look to keep his mouth shut. Cam fell silent.

“What’s gonna happen to Hedwig?”

“Daniel, he’s a civilian. We can’t hold him forever.”

Daniel’s eyebrows rose, announcing an ugly discussion. “He was caught red handed trying to kidnap a child!”

“In a town that doesn’t exist.”

“So, anyone can do anything there with total impunity.”

For a long moment, Jack became very interested on the metal surface of the table.

“There’s nothing I can do about him.”

“I can’t believe you are gonna let this creep walk.”

“The brass wants Hedwig back immediately. He’ll no longer be allowed at the SGC or in Pueblito, I promise you that.”

“I bet that will work just great.”

Suddenly, Daniel got up and turned towards the window, trying to find the right words to channel his frustration. He did not succeed.

“Look Daniel, this isn’t the first time we’ve struggled with the NID. We can’t just change things overnight or make them all go away. Being an Air Force General has its advantages, but makes working undercover a tad difficult. Days like these really make me miss Maybourne.”

“So that’s it? You all called us up here to tell us we’re on our own?”

“Daniel, what do you expect us to do?” said Sam, her eyes betraying her frustration.

“I don’t know. But if you were stuck in some kind of a ghetto, I wouldn’t throw you to the wolves.”

“That’s so unfair! We are not exactly having a ball in Atlantis! How do you expect me to help! I'm not even in the same galaxy!”

Daniel could not argue against Sam’s inescapable logic. Yet, if positions were reversed, he would’ve tried.

“Perhaps I should leave Earth,” said Janet, her eyes lost in the depth of space.

“Janet, you can’t possibly consider that.” Daniel could feel the heavy weight of disappointment beginning to break things inside. He had given so much of himself to all his friends, his family. Yet, he was not willing to lose Janet. Not again.

“It would resolve many problems.”

“If you go, I’ll go with you. This is non-negotiable.”

A heavy silence fell among them, only interrupted by the faint whir of the ship’s air cycling unit.

“Daniel, are you telling me that your friends are allowing you and Janet to be pushed into such a corner that your only option is to leave the planet? Didn’t you do that before? That whole Abydos ascension thing?” Vala had the rare talent of putting things into a blunt but effective perspective.

“It was a mistake for me to return. I’ve done enough damage as it is.”

“Janet, you have done nothing wrong.”

“How can you say that, Daniel? Nirrti destroyed my Earth! Look at this mess now. A child was endangered and it’s all my fault.”

“Many of us here know what it means to be an unwilling host. You shouldn’t blame yourself for the actions of others,” said Vala shooting pointed looks at Sam and Jack. Their silence and reluctance to help was seriously annoying her.

“Look Janet, perhaps you should consider staying with Teal’c in Chulak,” said Sam. “At least, for a while until things are sorted out over here. I didn’t wanna say, but Cassie’s been having a difficult time. It’s hard for me to get authorization to come back to help her out. I’m responsible for everyone’s safety over there and I don’t get much of a choice.”

Janet’s dark eyes gradually saddened and her posture acquired an air of utter defeat. “The old proverb is true; you can’t ever go home again.” As tears began to pool she dried them with the back of her hand, but it was not enough to stop them from rolling down.

Daniel protectively pulled her into his arms. He was stunned. His whole world was unraveling and he did not know how to stop it. He faced the people around him, his own eyes laden with pain. He realized that Sam had never invited them to come to Atlantis where they would at least be safer from the NID.

Sam’s training kept her from outwardly reacting to the emotional intensity of the moment but Daniel knew her too well to ignore her frustration.

“Sam, what’s wrong?”

“Look, you’re not the only ones who have lost people. I lost you and Janet when I needed you the most. But I’m a military officer. I survive and keep going because others need me to. And I’m not blaming anyone for my choices. However, I can’t turn back the clock as if nothing happened, as if I was not affected. I have to think of what’s best for Cassie. I’m sorry Janet, I know you are a good person, and I wish I could solve all this mess so you and Daniel can be safe. But I have to be honest. I can’t just recreate the feelings I had for somebody else. Janet was my sister; she was closer to me than anyone in my own family. Now she’s gone and there is nothing I can do about that except to try support Cassie the best I can.”

“Sam, more than anything in the universe I would have wanted my Cassie and my friends to be happy. Don’t pressure yourself into feeling what you obviously don’t. As you said, your Janet and I are different people and I don’t expect anything from you or Cassie. Please tell her to go on with her life and never look back.”

Daniel wanted to respond to Sam’s comment, but realized that if he truly said what was on his mind, he would only push her further away. That would not help matters. She was already living as far away as she could. Yet, the folk in Pueblito needed to be heard.

“Sam, I understand that you need space to deal with certain things, but what about all the other people in Pueblito? They are so used to NID harassment that they no longer notice it. What about Sarah Gardner or Charles Kawalsky or Jon O’ Neill and their families? They have been refused full citizenship yet they are not allowed to leave. Some of them have been prisoners of the NID for as long as we had the program.”

“Daniel, what alternatives do I have? Do you want me to resign my post in Atlantis? If the fate of Pueblito were up to me, I would let everyone go home tomorrow,” she said and then turned towards Jack. “With all due respect General O’Neill, Home World Security and the SGC are responsible for crating this mess and they need to find a solution.”

Jack remained impassive and did not respond. Sam continued, turning back to Daniel, “I’m sorry, I know this is frustrating, but we must recognize that there have been orders and responsibilities about all this before anything can be done. It is not up to me to set certain things straight.”

Daniel looked at Sam and nodded. She was military and following orders, but not having her 100% in his corner was disappointing. He had taken for granted that she would jump in with a solution, that his friends would just say ‘Sure, no problem, we’ll fix it.’ What rights did he have to have such blind faith in them, to make such demands?

“Fine. Sam, I take your point,” Daniel said glancing at Jack. He then faced everyone in the room. “Janet and I need to consider our options. We’ll let you all know what we decide.”

He took in the silence he received as a response. Everyone’s frustration was palpable. He grabbed Janet’s by the hand, and both left for the dark planet below.

 

===

 


	6. Counteractions

Note from the author: Before reading this chapter, the reader might find it useful to go back to the beginning and read my introductory note and spoiler warning about Hank Boyd and SG-10.

 

Pueblito by Eilidh17

 

 _“Daniel, turn the damn thing off!”_ came the voice through his cell phone.

Daniel frowned.

 _“It will only be for a minute,”_ argued the voice.

The corners of his mouth went down slightly.

_“Daniel, stop pouting and turn the damn thing off!”_

Daniel’s eyebrows shot up. “So you can see me?”

_“No. Damn it. How am I supposed to beam down if you don’t turn the damn shield off?”_

“How come you can see me?” It was more an accusation than a question.

_“Shit. Daniel, I don’t need to see you to know you’re pouting. You’re being a pigheaded idiot. Let me through!”_

“No, Jack. Beam down in the library and walk over here.”

_“It’s Saturday. It’s probably closed.”_

“It’s open.”

_“Fine! Godammit.”_

After five minutes, the loud knocks made the door rattle. Daniel rolled his eyes and opened the door.

“Paranoid much?” said Jack.

“Remember Amy Greene?”

“We got the bastard.”

“No, _I_ got the bastard by being a paranoid idiot and you let him go, so don’t you come to my home and tell me I’m overreacting! As we speak, our security system is being hit with everything they’ve got. If they keep this up, in a few months the SGC will be sending us a new naquadah reactor.”

“Okay, all right. I get your point. The thing with Hedwig and the little girl seriously irked me. But Daniel, we need to figure out this shield business. We need a quick in and out whenever necessary.”

“Sam calibrated the shield to function this way.”

“If I ask Carter to make some modifications, would you consent to that?”

“You heard her. She washed her hands off us.”

“Leave that to me.”

“As long as the shield never goes down.”

“How can you open the doors?”

“We say ‘alohomora’ and wave our magic wands.”

“Daniel.”

“The device recognizes us though micro genetic readers placed on all the handles.”

“So, no keys?”

“We got keys. Just in case the power fails.”

That and the zats in my desk, thought Daniel. He ushered Jack to the living room. Janet was there waiting.

“Nice digs.”

“Thank you, General.”

They sat down. The homey feeling of the fire made Jack instantly relax.

“I’m sorry kids. I was kinda hoping the local NID agents would get bored and leave you two alone. These morons tend to have a short attention span. Although not ideal, Hammond had a fairly good working situation here: people were safe, even if a bit restricted and the SGC was able to keep the secrecy of the Stargate well protected here and off-world.”

Jack spoke in a friendly, almost casual tone, but after the meeting the previous evening Janet’s and Daniel’s moods were dark. There were too many unresolved questions and they were seriously consider leaving Earth.

“Things have changed,” said Daniel.

“Apparently. When General Dunpolt was appointed to head the NID a few months ago he brought in new people. He’s old money and well connected in Washington.”

“So, what’s his agenda?”

“Dunno. We’re looking into it. All we know is that the NID wants you, Janet. Perhaps you should both consider Chulak, ya know? Just for a while.”

During the exchange, Janet’s features had conveyed the friendlier side of neutral. Upon hearing the news, her eyes betrayed a note of concern. “Sir, is there any way we can stay? Earth is my home.”

“Janet, we need a plan.”

“Is this the part where I say, ‘I told you so’?” asked the Daniel, the anger tightening his voice.

“I’m happy to eat crow seventeen ways to Sunday, Daniel. Yet the fact remains, we need a workable plan. By the way, everyone feels the conversation last night could’ve gone better.”

“Everyone….” It was not a question. Daniel pressed his lips and cast his eyes downward. They had discussed him after he left. He had become an outsider begging for help from his distanced friends. Yet they were willing to give it. That should be enough.

“Ya know? After you both came down, Vala and Cam chewed up our asses. Those two really have your back. They threatened to bring Teal’c into the discussion. Naquadah mines in Jaffa territories were mentioned.”

“They blackmailed you into coming?”

“Nah. They were right. I just needed them to get on board. Pueblito was supposed to be a temporary haven, not a prison. So, you guys have a plan, right?”

Daniel looked at Janet. Her eyes told him to proceed. At this point, they had little to lose.

“The beginnings of one.”

“What do you need?” Jack sighed with relief.

“Jon O’Neill and Charles Kawalsky. I don’t want anyone involved that can’t be trusted. They know the town.”

 

===

 

The long dining room table was covered by a simple white tablecloth. There were different kinds of containers with take-out food, bottles of soda, water and disposable silverware.

Standing at the head of the table, dressed in a blue polo shirt and jeans, Daniel quietly commanded everyone’s attention.

“We appreciate that you all accepted our invitation to lunch. I know it’s Sunday and you guys probably had other plans. Would it be okay with everyone if I moderate this discussion?”

Daniel waited until everyone nodded. All the seats around the table were occupied, including several people seated on a second line against the long wall.

“First, I should clarify that this house is protected from any kind of digital surveillance. However, that will not be true in your homes or workplaces. Are you all in agreement to not speak of what we discuss here anywhere else until we are able to protect the whole town from NID spying?”

All responded in the affirmative.

“Second, what I’m about to discuss is quite dangerous. If you’re afraid for your families and your children—you heard what happened to Amy Greene, right?—you better leave now.”

Sarah Gardner stood up.

“Daniel, if we don’t do this, our children will never be safe. I’m doing this for Amy. We are staying.”

A couple, recent arrivals from an Ori controlled planet, got up. The man spoke.

“We have six children. Under the best of circumstances we have a hard time keeping track of them.”

Everyone laughed.

“They really need us. Our support system on this planet is tenuous at best. I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have come to this meeting. However, if we can help in some small way, please let us know. We need you to succeed, even if we can’t be actively involved. Many of us just want to go back to our own planets and find our families.”

“We completely understand. Thank you. We’ll try to keep your families protected. For those of you who are staying, this might be a good moment to help yourselves to food and drinks. There is more in the kitchen.”

Once everyone settled back down, Daniel spoke up again.

“For your peace of mind, for the time being, I’ll be extending our anti-surveillance umbrella to cover this section the town, between Bouvier, Skinner, Marge and Groening streets to be precise. If you are inside this umbrella, your cellphone or internet connection will not work unless you add these numbers to your login,” Daniel flashed a large card with a series of numbers. “The system knows what to do and will automatically encrypt your communications. Please keep this information to yourselves. All our lives will depend on it.”

Everyone nodded and committed the numbers to memory. 1776070420110704. Many smiled when they realized the meaning of the number, the first US Independence Day--4th of July, 1776--and its most recent anniversary. At least, it was easy enough to remember.

“If you live somewhere else and need to make a private phone call, take a walk on Marge Avenue. For the sake of full disclosure, I have the ability to listen in while you connect through our security system. It’s an automatic function of the technology. I do apologize. I’ll try to be discreet and no use this prerogative, but we may need to at times if there is some kind of emergency. Are you all okay with this?”

“Perhaps we should have a longer conversation later on about drafting some guidelines for how your access should play out?” said Sarah.

“Fair enough; in fact, I think is a great idea. Well, since Janet and I are rather new to Pueblito, I would like us to go around the room introducing ourselves.”

He and Janet went first. Then followed Jack and Jon O’Neill, Sonia and Charles Kawalsky, Sarah and Martin Greene, as well as Lorand and Shwanee Gollander. Nyan reminded everyone of an upcoming event at the library. Sitting together were Jaliska of Aneber, the library director; and Anaha Kops of Abydos, the owner of the supermarket. At the end of that table were Captain Kevin Elliot, Luis Rodriguez, an ex-Marine Head of the Firemen Association and his former war buddy, Carlo Spinola, manager of the Blue Moon apartment complex. Sitting against the wall were car shop owners Ernest Marshall and Tony García and in the back stood, to Daniel and Janet’s surprise, Cam, Vala and Sam.

“This is an impressive group,” said Daniel. “If we coordinate our actions we can liberate this town and keep the NID away.”

“Dude, that sounds great. But do you have any ideas as to how to get us there?” asked Luis Rodriguez, his dark-skinned fingers tapping the top of the table as if to emphasize what was really the heart of the matter.

“A few, but it all begins with finding more information about the NID. Navigating through their computer files undetected will be a problem.”

“I can help with that,” said Jaliska, an attractive, dark-eyed woman with the tattoo of a star on the side of her face.

Some of the people around the table smirked.

“They laugh because I’m the town computer hacking queen. Can a girl help it if she likes to hack the NID?” asked Jaliska with an impish smile.

Daniel, encouraged by the responses, continued laying out their needs.

“We also need information on the legal incorporation of the town, reports of municipal meetings, things like that. We want to legally change the political structure of the town so as to make things permanent.”

“Not a problem,” Jaliska said, her friendly brown eyes betraying a keen sense of purpose. “Pueblito’s Municipal Hall’s records are stored in the library, even their central server is there. I’ll help you with whatever you need. And what I can’t find, I know somebody who can help us. She wanted to come, but we told her she was already “In Like Flint” and not to raise any suspicions.”

A ripple of chuckles moved through the room.

Daniel looked at Sam. She looked a bit unsettled.

“Sam, are you sure you want to be involved in this?”

“I do. Whatever you need, Daniel.”

“Please, could you do something about making our…. security measures more flexible?”

“No problem. We’ll discuss options. Can we meet later?”

Daniel gave her a nod in appreciation.

“Okay, this is my simple plan.”

Everyone seemed to lean forward as Daniel spoke, his words coming in quick succession, seemingly conjured out of thin air by the expressive movement of his hands.

 

===

 

Mayor Morton J. Loxy felt the pangs of an incipient heartburn coming on. He nervously fidgeted with the smart phone in his hands until he found the screen he wanted. The voice on the headset was relentless. Suddenly it stopped.

“General Dunpolt. We were never able to get any data from the Jackson Residency. Dr. Mel Hedwig was not able to identify any wireless interference or digital firewalls when he was there. For all intent and purposes, the house is as impenetrable as the SGC lower levels and now the whole neighborhood seems to have gone dark. Sections 18-20, 28-30 and 48-50, to be exact.”

 _“Do you mean eight blocks are off the grid?”_ the voice barked.

“Yes, General. Completely black.”

 _“What is the nature of the malfunction and when will it be fixed?”_ the impatient voice jarred his ears.

“General Dunpolt, we don’t know. All systems are nominal and there is no malware detected in the system. We simply stopped receiving all data an hour ago. We even tried to cut power to that side of town, rebooting all our systems, without any significant change.”

_“This is unacceptable! These fucking freaks must be kept under 24/7 surveillance! I require you to find a solution and report to me in one hour, or I may need to make some adjustments of my own. Are we clear Mayor Loxy_ _?”_

“General we don’t have the technical––”

The call disconnected before Loxy was able to finish.

Neither Chief Teufel, Security Officer Bernstein, nor Sgt. Brown, their most advanced technician, had been able to figure out what the source of the anomaly was. Frustrated, they had called the NID, but General Dunpolt had demanded answers instead of giving them technical support.

Loxy checked his watch. Ten minutes to his meeting.

He pressed a number and waited until the call connected.

_“Chief Teufel.”_

“Loxy here. Any news?”

_“No change, sir. I got the list of people who were at the Jackson Residence.”_

“Go ahead.”

The names confirmed what he already knew in his churning guts. Big trouble was coming.

“Okay, let’s have a meeting when I get back tomorrow. Keep an eye on everyone in that list. All hands on deck for this one.”

Uncomfortable, Loxy put the phone away and fidgeted with his tie. One side was too long but there was no time to fix it. They would probably call him as soon as he untied the knot.

He cursed in silence. This whole thing with Jackson showing up and Hedwig disappearing was a colossal headache. Not even in his wildest dreams did he think he would find himself in this situation.

This was not in his plan. He hoped that one day they would send for him to thank him for all his outstanding work. That he would be offered a seat among the others in the library, given a cigar, a good drink, brought in to be part of what he could guess was a very powerful group of people.

None of that would happen today.

Like always, he would stand at the edge of their fancy carpet, answering their questions, acceding to their demands, until they dismissed him with a “Keep up the good work, Morton.”

Today he had no answers to give. Would they replace him? He knew too much. Would he become a loose end needed to be cut?

Loxy contemplated his uncertain future until he felt a loud cough next to him. He must have spaced out.

“Excuse me sir, Mr. Shaw will receive you now.”

Loxy followed the butler, a young man with the body of a linebacker, into the library. He stood as always facing the group, all enjoying their after dinner drinks.

“Excellent. Thank you Mayor Loxy for coming to talk to us. We’re sorry to have imposed on your time, but we won’t detain you for long. We just have a couple of questions. Please, can you tell us what progress have you made in finding Dr. Mel Hedwig? His brother Mr. Nile Hedwig would like to know,” said Shaw moving his arm towards the CEO of Marks siting near him.

“Mr. Shaw, Mr. Hedwig, I’m so sorry about the disappearance of your brother. He has been an esteemed visitor to our town for many years and we never had any indication that he was in any kind of danger. Otherwise, we would have––”

“Loxy, please.”

“Yes sir. We established that Dr. Hedwig was seen for the last time at the clinic in Pueblito. Of course, we questioned everyone there, but nobody saw anything.”

“Have you ascertained why he was at the clinic?” asked Shaw.

“Yes. General Dunpolt ordered him to take the child Amelia Greene into custody as a way of pressuring Dr. Jackson and Dr. Frasier. He did not succeed, as the child was seen later with her parents. Through a contact at the SGC we learned that Dr. Hedwig may be in one of the ships in orbit.”

“Are you sure he wasn’t sent through the Gate?” asked a visibly anxious Nile Hedwig.

“My contact says that he’s most likely being held on board the Odyssey.”

“How long will the ship be in orbit?”

“My contact didn’t know sir.”

“Were you able to improve your surveillance of the Fraiser woman?”

“We have increased our visual surveillance, but neither General Dunpolt nor we have been able to penetrate their perimeter. We suspect this is some kind of alien technology that’s shielding their house from any kind of digital supervision. In fact, now this shield has increased its range to include a larger section of their neighborhood.”

“You mean, you have actually lost control of your town?”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it quite that way, Mr. Shaw. But in terms of electronic surveillance, just a few blocks are off our grid.”

Loxy knew he was now in trouble. Dunpolt had not informed the group yet.

“Where was Dr. Fraiser when my brother disappeared?”

“She was at the clinic, talking to Dr. Warris.”

“Anything we should know?”

“There is nothing new in terms of her earlier testimony, but we established that Dr. Jackson was at the clinic the day Dr. Hedwig disappeared. He has not returned our calls.”

“Mr. Loxy, you know what to do. And Loxy? Next time a member of our team disappears under your watch, you will be responsible for finding them and returning them to us, unharmed. Do I make myself understood?”

“Yes Mr. Shaw.”

Shaw made a slight sign to the butler, who escorted Mayor Loxy out.

Loxy knew that the only way to get himself out of trouble was crossing a critical line. He was deadly afraid of getting caught but not as afraid of disappearing like so many others. He cheered himself up by thinking this could be a golden opportunity, that he was no quitter, but fear made his stomach churn. He fished in his pocked for an anti-acid tablet. After considering his options, he dialed Chief Teufel again. Time to tighten the screws around Fraiser and Jackson.

The group inside the library waited until the door closed behind Loxy to resume their conversation.

Nevin Shaw stood up. Like his butler, he had been a linebacker in college and had an impressive presence. He was one among a handful of African Americans who had been able to achieve the highest position in a vast multinational company like Angel Bioengineering thanks to his brilliant mind and keen business instincts. He knew when tougher actions were necessary.

The recent market crash and the loss of testing territory for their products in the chaos of the Arab spring and the volatile situation in Africa demanded more forceful actions.

“I’m sorry, Nile. I know you are worried about your brother. We already put a message through to the President so I expect results soon. And Jiao? I understand that General Dunpolt is family, but we may need to consider situating a new person at the head of the NID who is proactive in, shall we say, more discreet ways. He’s new to the job, so we should give him a few days to adjust, but if it doesn’t work out, then I suggest early retirement. Robert would have the option of joining the board of any of our companies if you don’t have room for him at Bizer. Please let him know that we have his back and that whatever happens it will be for the best.”

Like everyone in the room, Shaw knew that while they needed to contain Dunpolt’s risky decisions, he would never be harmed. He was not only a conspicuous link to all of them, but also nobody wanted to make an enemy out of Jiao Lee. Bizer was a powerful conglomerate.

“Thank you, Nevin,” said Lee smiling to Shaw. “I’m not sure Robert will be happy with the news, but I certainly appreciate the gesture as I no longer expect he’ll settle into the NID in any productive way.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, we may need a new ally to head the NID. Any ideas?” asked John Lopez.

 

===

 

Only the soft sounds of writing interrupted the quiet space of the library.

By the muted light of the reading lamps, Janet and Daniel worked in their respective journals. It had been a particularly stressful week. Writing helped in sorting out the emotional rollercoaster.

Stretched on the sofa, Janet typed on her laptop, stopping periodically to re-read and edit. Satisfied with her entry, she saved the document and put the closed computer on the table. These days, words came quickly to her, as the flood-gates of the past were wide open. By delving deeper into half-forgotten memories she was able to reconstruct complex chains of events.

She always felt comfortable in deep waters.

When Janet was little, her mother tried to give her swimming lessons, but her hovering presence made her feel insecure, so she kept holding on to her mother. One summer afternoon, Janet decided to venture into the kids’ side of the pool by herself. In the low area, she learned to swim underwater and be buoyant. Then, she jumped in the deep end, floated for a while among the adult swimmers and swam underwater back to the wading steps. Janet knew how to reach her goals by moving efficiently below the surface.

When she dwelled on particularly painful moments, Janet took a step back by placing the memories in a more general timeline, clinically organizing her thoughts and breaking events into more emotionally manageable bits of information. Through this rather methodical process of unburdening her buried pain, of sharing her most difficult memories with others, her future readers, Janet began to feel an increasing sense of relief. She was lighter, more alive, more willing to take a stand, to become part of her new reality, to fight back. She was even willing to wait for things to work themselves out. If anything, she had learned to apply her larger reserves of patience into this new situation.

Daniel’s presence by Janet’s side provided her with a steady emotional support but he also awoke in her conflictive feelings.

Eventually, Janet learned to separate and recognize the different impulses within her: her need for feeling safe, her own internal healing process and her search for personal enjoyment and fulfillment. At times, the struggle for survival seemed all there was in life. But Janet remembered with some frequency how it felt to be happy. She wanted to experience that bliss again.

Even in the rarefied normalcy of Pueblito, the steady rhythms of domestic life, of eating or regularly exercising, of naps in the afternoon, of writing and rewriting, of taking trips to the market, allowed Janet to think about the future. For better or worse, she had come home to this Earth and she was now coming home to herself as a person. She was returning to her body by tumbling into the messy jumble of life, teeming with currents of pain, love and desire.

Oh yes, pure, burning, unabated desire.

She experienced it as a tidal wave, a powerful undercurrent pulling her towards Daniel’s captivating presence. In spite of the uncertain times, she was becoming buoyantly alive, ready to embrace the stirring feelings that made her heart beat faster whenever she felt his blue gaze on her.

Janet looked at the man across the room, conscious of her girlish admiration for his handsome features. The lamp cast a greenish hue on the smooth skin of his face, on the light stubble covering his chiseled cheeks, on the metal frame of his glasses, hanging low on his nose as he wrote in his journal. His tongue licked his lips with flashing speed. She leaned back on the sofa and indulged in the contemplation of the man lost in his work for a brief moment.

Working at the table, Daniel’s elegant long fingers held the pen lightly as he embroidered one word after another along the gray lines crossing the page. His eyebrows drew together as he wrote with flowing prose.

 

> _…words on paper gives me a measure of critical and emotional distance and I need a clear perspective now more than ever._
> 
> _These are particularly frustrating days. I can’t help but feel a sense betrayal for the SGC not making an appropriate effort in protecting us, especially considering the inherent dangers of what I do--and have done and would be willing to do--on their behalf. My reduced schedule at the SGC is now coming to an end, so the pressure to regularize our situation in Pueblito is higher than ever. How can I leave Janet alone here with all these mounting threats? What keeps me going is knowing that a team is coming together to dislodge the NID’s hold on this town. Change is within reach if we act soon and decisively. All we have to do is to make the laws work in our favor, but we need the courage to come together and stand up to them._
> 
> _But who are they? These people who had succeeded in pushing us into a corner? Hedwig and Dunpolt…. Something that Jack said nags at me. Something about old money and influence._

 

Janet stood next to Daniel, who was completely distracted by his writing, and began playing with the locks at the base of his neck. He adjusted his legs, the body responding to the sensual touch before the conscious mind did.

Daniel looked up and wrapped his left arm around Janet’s waist, a lascivious smile playing in his lips. His eyes followed the line of her cleavage and her bare shoulders, emerging from the low cut emerald green camisole. He wanted to taste her skin. With an unrushed, fluid movement, he pushed his chair back and helped Janet sit on his lap. He rested his hands on the small of her back, anchoring her in close proximity.

“Weren’t you gonna work on your journal this evening?” he asked in a low voice.

His lips followed the shape of her shoulder as her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Daniel, you look so cute with your nose stuck in a book. What’s a girl to do?”

He trailed kisses towards the base of her neck, breathing in the faint fruity smell of her shampoo that clang to the lustrous hair strands.

“Leave the nose stuck in the book?”

“That’s so not what I had in mind.”

She leaned back and took off his glasses, letting go of them when her hand blindly found the table behind her. He gently touched the satiny shape of her collar bone with the tip of his tongue, the skin made taut by the extended arm.

“Am I doomed to a life of interruptions?”

Gently, Daniel blew on the wet trace he left. Janet shivered with delight.

“Do you mind too terribly?”

“Nah, I love it when you come looking for me, all hot and bothered.”

She pulled back and looked into his eyes, his pupils dilated in clear arousal.

“Don’t you want to interrupt me sometimes?”

His lascivious smile was back and his body stirred under her legs.

“Janet, I’m a guy and you’re a beautiful woman. I pretty much wanna interrupt you all the time.”

Janet’s sexy laugh was like a ticket to heaven.

“You know, Daniel, it’s late.”

“Late?”

“Yeah, as in time to go to bed.”

“Cuddle?”

“Not this time.”

“You wanna be alone, then.”

Janet gently pulled Daniel’s hair.

“Don’t tease me. I want you to make love to me.”

“I’d be happy to oblige, ma’am. But, are you sure? We don’t need to rush… If you are not…”

“I’m ready. I need this. I wanna reclaim this part of my life.”

He slowly folded his arms around Janet and captured her lips. She welcome his kiss, which soon deepened into a hungry, breathless exchange. As she pulled back, Daniel looked into Janet’s eyes and he saw there what he needed, a mixture of resolve and open desire.

Holding hands, the couple took the foyer stairs. With every step, Daniel considered what to do next. Her bed was where they usually held each other through the night and made each other feel safe by chasing nightmares with a hug and a gentle kiss. After reaching the second floor he led Janet to his bedroom. If things went wrong, it would be on his own turf. She could still see her own room as a place of safety.

Daniel told himself to be ready to stop, to go slow, to let her guide him through her insecurities.

Or his.

He had not been intimate with anyone for quite a while. He was in the best shape of his life but he was 46 years old. Who knew what he still could do. Or not. He groaned inwardly thinking of all those ED commercials.

He felt so sure of himself downstairs; but now, not so much.

He chided himself for feeling so inadequate. ‘Let your pretty body do the work for you,’ the thought popped into his mind. He groaned. He was being a total jerk.

Daniel took a deep breath and reminded himself that that all he had to do is show Janet how much love and tenderness he had in store for her. If only his body were not racked by nervous anticipation.

They stood near his bed by the weak light of his reading lamp, half covered by a small towel he had quickly tossed over it to give them a more comfortable penumbra.

Janet raised her face trying to kiss him. He was so much taller! He came down to her and she welcomed the nibbling playfulness of his lips. The prickly feeling of his stubble only adding to the rich layers of sensations that made her body hum with delight.

Daniel felt the smooth skin of Janet’s shoulders slowly glide under his fingers as he lovingly gathered her into his arms. Cocooned in Daniel’s hug, Janet sensuously caressed the hard muscles of his back, pressing her body against his. The increased contact made the man groan into the kiss, sending a heat wave through Janet’s stretched frame.

Janet felt no insecurities. She was surprised, yet her reaction filled her with hope. She was human again, whole, healthy and surging with incandescent passion. Nobody else was riding her arousal. She was alone in her body and the feeling was exhilarating. The sensation of Daniel’s luscious tongue doing all kinds of erotic things to hers made her practically giddy with power.

Janet stepped back giving Daniel a high voltage smile that lit up the room.

Suddenly, she pulled off her camisole and the rest of her clothes quickly followed. Daniel’s mouth fell open, his eyes wide in admiring contemplation. She was breathtaking. Her creamy resplendent skin and the subtle curves of her sensuous figure filled his body with intense yearning. And she was here for him. Just for him.

Janet reached towards Daniel and tried to pull up his shirt over his head. The man completed the action, ridding himself of the rest of his clothes. Even though this Janet had known every inch of an anatomy identical to his better than most, he felt suddenly shy as the urgency of his desire became clearly exposed. With gentle determination, Janet pushed Daniel back until he sat on the carelessly tousled sheets of his unmade bed.

“Lay down,” Janet whispered, her luminous almond eyes shining in anticipation.

Daniel moved back, his attention lost in the sensation of her skin lightly caressing his body as she crawled over him. He reached behind his head and flattened the pillows. He left one arm raised in comfortable surrender while his fingers traced the contours of Janet’s lovely face.

“Janet, do we want any kind of protection?”

“Nope. The Tok’ra offered me a long term option and I took it.”

“Is it permanent?”

“No, but I may be old enough for it to be. I’ll have to reconsider in a year or so when the effects dissipate.”

Daniel kept forgetting that she was in her 40s. She looked younger. The symbiote had protected her from ageing as much as from disease.

“Do you think we need it?”

“I’m healthy; in fact, it’s been a while for me. I don’t even know if I can, you know…”

Janet’s sexy laugh sent ripples of pleasure down his spine.

“Daniel, whatever we do together, it’s good enough for me. I’d like to make love, but if we aren’t ready, then we’ll just have a great time making out, okay?”

She sat up for a moment to commit to memory the sight of her lover stretched in bed, his arms tacked behind his head, his luminous eyes, barely visible under his half-closed lids, tracking her every move. The image, beautiful in so many ways, made her heart burst with love.

Janet slowly straddled Daniel, running her hands over the soft skin of his arms, memorizing the textures she encountered, his powerful muscles relaxing under the satiny surface, the fine armpit hair, the rounded planes of his chest. She follow the contour of his pecs, playing slightly with his hardening nipples.

Daniel reveled in the contact, hyper aware of every sensation. He wanted to reciprocate—he imagined his lips closing on her gorgeous pink nipples to make them hard--but remained passive, giving Janet the initiative to find whatever path was most comfortable to her. Her roaming hands, the feel of her warm skin pressing against his made his nerve endings tingle.

Janet came down to take his lips. The kiss was long and passionate, a warm, moist duel of sliding tongues that left them both panting. After a long moment, she pulled back and saw his eyes, darkened with heat. She kissed him softly, reaching with her tongue into his mouth and running it lightly over his cracked tooth, the slight imperfection that made his smile the sexiest thing she had ever seen. The feel of its ragged edges slight closing over her tongue made her heart hammer. Daniel wrapped her in his arms, the perfect feeling of tenderness enfolding her, almost making her forget she was on a mission.

There was more of this man Janet wanted to explore. With deliberate slowness, with her hand and with her lips, Janet took loving possession of the symmetric shape of his abdominal muscles and the sensitive surface of his inner thighs. She rhythmically caressed with nimble fingers the tense skin of his shaft until Daniel dropped his head back with a low growl, his whole body arching with unbearable expectation.

“Jan, my love, if you do that one more time, it will be over. That was just so incredibly hot… I… I need to slow down a bit.”

Gathering Janet in his arms, he tasted her lips, their breathing becoming more shallow as the kiss became a hungry dance. His hands followed the shape of her spine to the graceful curves of her hips.

Now it was his turn to explore and slow down the demands of his body, screaming for immediate satisfaction.

He pulled back for a moment and let his eyes wander. Daniel recognized the moment for what it was: perfect, effervescent happiness. Janet was in his arms, her sensuous body breathing hard for him, her bright almond eyes full of love. He allowed himself an instant of emotional possession: she was his darling sweetheart, his family, his life. He would always be home wherever she was.

Carried by the look of adoration in Daniel’s eyes, Janet simply wrapped herself around the man.

The searing heat of their proximity heightened their need.

Daniel turned them over on the bed and resting on his elbows he trailed kisses on her neck.

“You okay, so far?” he asked letting his breath play over her ear.

She shivered in delight.

“Oh, yeah. Hmm… you?

“Yabetcha.”

Daniel kissed the base of her neck. His tongue fit perfectly in the hollow space and he played with it eliciting pleasurable moans and a flurry of searching fingers on his back. He made a mental note as to how much of a turn on that spot was.

Janet saw him flash a look of recognition and smiled. He closed his eyes and continued with his exploration, softly tracing the edge of her full breast and capturing her nipple between his lips. He latched on to it with a hungry humming, letting his tongue play with the hardening nob.

Heat pulsed through Janet’s nerve endings in response to his playful mouth. She pressed herself against him, trapping his hard erection between their bodies. She relaxed into his gentle caresses, his hand exploring the folds between her legs, as she moved rhythmically through the tidal waves of rising pleasure until the intensity was unbearable.

She grabbed his face and waited until his eyes focused on hers.

“Daniel, I’m close. I want you inside me. ”

“You ready? You sure?”

“Yes, I want this. Please Daniel, now.”

Daniel sought her lips and kissed her deeply. He tried to prolong the sensuous foreplay, to slow down his teasing fingers and the pleasurable sensations of his tongue against hers, but her urgency ignited an unbearable need in his own body. He could not delay much longer.

Turning over, he helped Janet straddle him. She guided his movements as she gently slid him into her. Relaxing for a movement over his body, she felt a perfect moment of completion, of fullness, that made her surge with a deeper wave of arousal. She was so close, yet she wanted the sensation to last forever. Daniel was inside her, loving her, claiming her, melting into her.

She came down for a kiss, their lips lightly touching in a breathless dance. Daniel was grateful to have a few seconds to recover from the exquisite velvety tightness that wrapped around him. He forced himself to breath slowly, counting prime numbers, all the names included in his cell phone beginning with M. Finally, the pressure receded and he was able to open his eyes and see Janet as her hands lovingly caressed his chest, already damp with sweat.

Her body, all curves and tight muscle, was glowing with the heat of passion. She moved with the fluidity of a dancer, her motions finding Daniel’s inner rhythms with unerring precision. She was the hottest thing he had ever seen.

“Janet, you are hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Might as well tell her the truth. Her sexy laugh resonated all the way down his spine.

“I was thinking the same thing about you,” said Janet, wondering when Daniel had learned to smile in such a sexy way, his tongue half sticking between his teeth.

Sliding his hands around the firm muscles of her back he pulled her towards him, unable to qualify the amazing sensation of her warm, willing body moving against his.

For a moment, Daniel lost himself in her deep brown eyes and the love that sparkled in them.

“You know that I want you with me forever and I’d follow you anywhere you want to go, right?”

Through the wave of emotion, Janet nodded. “Daniel, I’ll be with you for as long as you want me. I love you so much!”

It was not the first time they had uttered these words, but now it was their bodies saying them as well. Daniel’s heart was bursting. He could face anything, but only if Janet was by his side, his safe port in the storm.

He pulled Janet close, clung to her, his soul pouring into his kiss, deep and sensual, igniting their passion and pushing them closer to the edge. They moved in a natural, easy rhythm, filling the room with pleasurable groans until the waves of overwhelming passion carried them over the edge, their vibrating bodies falling together into an exploding abyss of pure light and joy.

Janet relaxed on Daniel’s chest and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling the covers over them as they nestled together through the last aftershocks.

After a few minutes of near comatose lassitude, Daniel looked up. Janet was shaking. Was she crying? Suddenly he was filled with terror but it subsided as quickly as it came.

Janet was looking at him, laughing, her eyes filled with a sense of deep joy he couldn’t remember ever seeing in them.

His smile was bright enough to light up the town.

Life was good.

 

===

 


	7. Revelations

 

As Daniel walked towards the elevator, he could hear the laughter continue to roll through the crowd at the cafeteria after his rambling tale of showing up at the SGC with a huge Jaffa and almost 100 refugees upon their return from their first dramatic visit to Chulak. General Hammond’s irate face at the foot of the ramp had been something to behold. Contrary to expectations, even the most narrow minded marines recognized that Doctor Jackson had a way of regularly getting their collective asses off the sling and treated him like a fellow brother in arms. They enjoyed dragging him to the cafeteria to listen to his tall tales about SG-1’s legendary adventures, even if they already knew them from basic training.

Once in front of his computer, Daniel savored his coffee and examined the scans of texts from Nim and from Kuruk with XOLrec, an exo-language recognition database developed at the SGC with some help from the Asgard technology they had inherited. Some languages like the odd combination of Akkadian, Sumerian and Goa’uld they had found in Semira really tested the limits of the program. Daniel looked over the rows of cuneiform text, appreciating how minute changes in the wording transformed the meaning of the whole section.

A knock on the open door startled the archeologist.

“Dr. Jackson?”

“Dr. Limberg, please come in.”

Mark Limberg, a recently hired phytochemist, had been involved in examining the genetic imprints of the bio-matter samples collected off world. He was taller than Daniel, athletic in build, with little hair left on his head. His grey eyes showed no trace of humor.

“I was wondering if I can take a look at the treaty for Semira.”

“I believe Dr. Lee gave you a copy two weeks ago.”

“No, I mean the final text of the treaty. I was informed you made some adjustments?”

“Dr. Limberg, the adjustments were minor and the brass has already approved the last draft.”

“Dr. Jackson, given that I’ll be there to negotiate the treaty, I must see the document. It seems only reasonable.”

Daniel considered this argument. It was going to be a longer conversation.

“Please, sit down,” he offered with a gesture.

Limberg pulled back a chair and gave Daniel a thin smile.

“Dr. Limberg, I appreciate your concern, but I’m afraid you are laboring under rather mistaken assumptions. At the SGC, we have our own specialized staff to broker treaties. These are well experienced mediators and diplomats who have negotiated hundreds of agreements. You’ll be there only to do the genetic testing of the plants and agricultural goods so we can add their documented DNA to the final text of the treaty.”

“But there are so many samples! How can I be sure that we are getting what we want? We need a certain kind of access that I should negotiate as I’m the one who understands the full implications of this agreement.”

Daniel took a deep breath and then continued speaking while his expressive hands visually emphasized key points.

“Dr. Limberg, you are new here at the SGC, so I’m happy to outline the process of inter-planetary treaties. This is a bit of an explanation, so please bear with me. After first contact and follow up visits by our various experts we get from them and from the planetary authorities a wish list and a set of terms, which we draft into a comprehensive treaty. Each department at the SGC is sent back their section of the document for feedback. Then the whole treaty is revised and sent back in full to the head of each department for review. Dr. Lee, the head of your department, made the document he received available to you at your request. After everyone returns their recommendations, a final document is produced and is then translated. Sometimes I introduce further changes for various reasons, including compliance with SGC regulations and international laws, or linguistic issues as some things need to be stated in ways that are clear to other cultures. Then the document is sent to General O’Neill and eventually to the President and the International Oversight Advisory. This treaty proposal has been approved at the highest levels. If you need a copy, you’ll have to request it from General Landry. He may need further approval to give you access. I hope you understand why I can’t personally honor your request.”

“This is not a very democratic way of working. We should all have access.”

“As I said, you are new at this. Our process is modeled on previous treaties and has been very successful in obtaining lasting agreements. Access is limited because the document has not yet been vetted by both Nims and Kuruks, who will negotiate with us their own request for changes to the document before it is signed. It’s a long process. But if you have any recommendations, please feel free to speak to General Landry. Pre-mission briefing is Wednesday at 13:00.”

“Are you still planning to join us in this mission?”

“Of course, I’m the lead negotiator.”

“But you’re just a department head!”

Daniel let the silence hang in the air for a moment or two, hoping that Limberg understood that he was out of line. Limberg quickly tried to cover his careless comment.

“What I meant is that you said that treaties were negotiated at the highest level by professional ambassadors, so I was, uhm, confused.”

“Dr. Limberg, nobody on Earth speaks many off-world languages except me. That often makes me the lead negotiator. I’m the senior member of our ambassador corp.”

“I thought the negotiation was going to be in English or in Goa’uld.”

“The Semiran authorities do not speak those languages.”

“I see. Well, thank you for your time, Dr. Jackson.”

Without waiting for a response, Limberg got up and left.

Daniel did nothing to stop him. He was not entirely surprised at Limberg’s anxiety and rudeness. He had been very invested in including certain problematic clauses in the treaty which Daniel had done his best to curve, always mindful of not abusing the rights of the local populations. But there was something troubling in what the scientist said.

He got up, closed the door and called Landry, who confirmed his suspicions. Limberg had returned to Semira with a F.R.E.D. loaded with what he labeled necessary equipment and had remained there for several days. The chemist knew the place better than he did. He would have to be very careful.

On the a corner of his desk sat a small figurine of a young man that the Arxanti people had given him as a parting gift after SG-1 had aided their revolt against the tyrannical government of the Kinahhi. He felt the light weight of the sculpture on his hands, the rough texture sliding under his long fingers. It was, for him, a reminder of how much inter-planetary negotiations could go seriously awry. Hadn’t they all learned painful lessons from the Tegalans, Langarans and Kinahhi?

Limberg should not be trusted.

Daniel’s attention returned to the text on the screen. He needed more answers. How was he going to be able to mediate between the Nims and the Kuruks? He was not yet sure and that fact alone made him wonder whether this treaty was nothing but an exercise in futility.

 

===

 

Dr. Limberg left the SGC on his way to Colorado Springs calculating how he would handle the next step. He had not yet earned the generous commission the so-called Ameba group had offered him.

His conversation with Jackson had been informative yet frustrating. The archaeologist’s firm control over the language of the treaty assured that he would write and negotiate the treaty exactly the way he wanted it. Jackson had his own agenda and had successfully blocked his game at every turn. But there were other ways to achieve his goals.

After reaching a gas station on route I-25, he parked and turned on his cell phone. There were several messages identified only by the same repeating number. He touched the screen and allowed the phone to dial.

 _“Well it was about time you called! The trip is in two days!”_ said Nevin Shaw.

“Yes, sorry,” said Limberg without conviction. If Shaw did not understand by now that the SGC had the best security in the planet, he would waste no time in polite appeasement.

Limberg scanned the passing traffic, the quickly moving headlights throwing dancing shadows in the somber interior of his black sedan. There were no suspicious cars parked behind him or hovering in the vicinity.

“Sir, I was not able to get a revised copy of the document. The translator blocked me at every turn. The only fresh copies are distributed well above my pay cut.”

_“I understand; however, remember that your handsome reward includes eliminating such obstacles.”_

“I will, once the moment is right. These new clients are eager to negotiate with us. Perhaps all we need is a more private agreement.”

_“I’d much prefer the treaty be legal and address our needs, but proceed with your plan. By the way, have you found anything about our missing person?”_

“The little information available suggests that he’s no longer in the custody at the base, but that he was turned over to the NID. Please sir, double check your sources.”

_“This is not an ideal situation, but we’ll do as you suggest. Find a way to keep us informed.”_

Once the call ended, the scientist maneuvered his car back into the road. Shaw, thousands of miles away, was left wondering if Limberg would prove to be a good associate. The key to winning when playing in the more dangerous side of the sandbox was to have a reliable team of players. Schooling his irritated features into a friendly smile, Shaw looked at his butler, silently waiting for directions.

“Please John, arrange the video-conference call now. Call Dunpolt and keep him on the line.”

The CEO of Angel Bioengineering put on his elegant jacket and brought his large computer screen to life. After a few minutes, his screen was parceled with the image of everyone connected with AMEBA.

“Good evening everyone. Before we begin, I want to report that Mark Limberg has made enquiries regarding Dr. Mel Hedwig and believes he is in the custody of the NID.”

“How could this be? He has not contacted me at all. I fear the worst,” said his brother Nile Hedwig, CEO of Marks.

“I have requested for General Dunpolt to join our conversation. If Mel has been with the NID then Dunpolt owes us an explanation. But before talking to him, I would like to report that Limberg is leaving for our next target later this week. He has encountered some resistance but plans to remove all obstacles. He has the ear of the local authorities at the new location. I suggest we move forward with our plans in Pueblito.”

“Nevin, I don’t think Robert Dunpolt should be involved in this operation,” said Molly Black, CEO of Abby Laboratories.

“I agree. His behavior has become increasingly erratic and before involving him any further we must clarify what happened to Mel. Frankly, I’m beginning to worry about the safety of my own sister,” added Jiao Lee.

“I’m sorry to hear that Lee. He showed so much promise. At any rate, I asked Robert to call in so we could talk to him about his retirement. Let’s proceed with caution and not mention any future operations.”

With everyone in agreement, he turned to his assistant and nodded. The impatient visage of General Dunpolt appeared on the screen.

“Robert, thank you for kindly waiting for us. We are here to discuss your future.”

“What do you mean?”

“We want to offer you a seat on the board of Biser, unless you prefer to join a different company.”

“I’m not ready to retire.”

“But this is a great opportunity. We had agreed that the NID was a temporary assignment to get our people in place. Now you need to move onto the next step.”

“Don’t patronize me, Nevin. The NID is the best match for me and you know it.”

Shaw began losing his patience. “Look, we appreciate your efforts on our behalf, but events haven’t been exactly under your control. You failed to acquire our target and Mel Hedwig is still missing.”

“He’s most certainly not. Mel Hedwig was noisy bastard who didn’t follow orders and put my agency in serious trouble. You must all agree he had to go. Sorry Nile, but that’s life. Insubordination is a dangerous thing.”

Everyone fell into a stunned silence. Shaw recovered first.

“What did you do with Dr. Hedwig?”

“He’s gone. Nothing left. We don’t need any more loose ends. His foolish actions have driven the SGC to request, once more, that the NID be dismantled. The activities of your group are destabilizing my agency, so from now own, I’m in charge. All of you will be safe and achieve your goals as long as you follow my lead. Is that clear?”

“Robert, you have given us much to think about. Thank you for talking to us. May we contact you later once we decide how we would like to proceed?”

“Certainly. I must personally approve and coordinate any future operations.”

After Dunpolt’s face was replaced by a neutral corporate logo everyone took a deep breath. Lee spoke first.

“Nile, I’m so very sorry. I’ll take care of our problem, personally. I don’t want your family, or mine by that matter, to be harmed again by this man. He simply has gone too far.”

Nile Hedwig nodded. He excused himself from the meeting and left the others to deal with the fallout.

“What about Limberg? These operations need to be synchronized,” said Lopez.

“We’ll have to work directly with Loxy on this one,” replied Shaw, thinking that this was another less than ideal turn of events.

 

===

 

Daniel opened the door. Somebody had been knocking rather quietly. It was Sam.

“Oh, I, uhm…. What are you doing here? It’s really late.”

“May I come in? I saw the lights on.”

“Please do. Sorry, Janet has gone to sleep.”

“I really wanted to speak with you Daniel.”

He walked to the library where he had been working and offered Sam a seat on the sofa.

“I know that I’ve been less than friendly lately.”

“Sam, you don’t…”

“Please let me say this. It’s not easy.”

Daniel reached and grabbed Sam’s hand.

“I’m your friend, Sam. It’s okay.”

Sam nodded and closed her eyes for a moment.

“In the military assignments are regularly rotated so the close attachments one forms are more or less of a temporary nature, though you always remain friends. The SGC and SG-1 are not run that way. We really bond with people and get emotionally involved so our loses are specially hard to take. After Kelowna, when you were forced to ascend I felt like I had lost a brother. Janet was my best friend and we were both raising Cassie. You know how devastating her loss was.”

“I understand, Sam,” said Daniel, pressing on her fingers.

Sam gave him a sad smile as tears pooled in her clear blue eyes.

“Barely a year later, while you were ascended again, I lost my father. I felt bereft. Had I been in a better head-space I’d have handled things better but I ended up loosing everyone who was ever close to me. Pete wanted a normal life but I didn’t have the energy to help us adjust our expectations. Mark got pissed at me again and Jack… Well, that one wasn’t ever gonna work out. It was difficult to let go of that illusion because it also meant leaving behind a very young part of myself. In the end, it all began to feel like one blow after another—Narim, Martouf, Orlin…. By that time Jack left the SGC, Teal’c went back to Dakara and you decided to go to Atlantis I was emotionally exhausted. I couldn’t be here any more.”

As Sam dried a few tears Daniel decided to move the conversation along.

“So you left for Area 51 to work on the Prometheus.”

“Cassie wasn’t doing well in college and out west I could keep an eye on her. R & D was a good post. It gave me breathing room to begin dealing with things and take some stock but then the Ori happened.”

“And you got sucked back into the program.”

“When we found this Janet a long list of heart aches were brought back to the surface. I thought I had put all that to rest only to realize that all I did was repress my grief and teach others to do the same. I blame myself for Cassie’s present unhappiness. She’s so confused.”

“Janet and I know that her arrival has been very hard for you both. We don’t want to create any more stress.”

“I appreciate that but I have to make some changes. I can’t keep running away from all this. I need to get back here and fix things.”

“You can’t resign to your post in Atlantis.”

“I have a few months left before my commission is up for review. Sheppard needs to be in command and with Rodney there and the Stargate intergalactic bridge finally functional they don’t really need me. I’ll ask for reassignment. We ought to be doing something about these Lucians. Things are getting out of control.”

“Yeah, I agree. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not really. I just wanted to tell you that I’m planning to return and that I hope I‘ll be in a better place so I can know this Janet a bit better. I miss our Janet so much.”

“I do too. As I see it, after taking so much from me the universe has finally given me something back. This is not the person we knew yet it’s still Janet and I love her.”

“I can understand that. Thank you for listening to all this.”

“Hey, what are older brothers for?”

Sam smiled, pressed Daniel’s hand and got up.

“Let me help you with the home shield. I think you shouldn’t let the general talk you into turning the shield off so he can beam in. It’s dangerous and isn’t good for the shield’s effectiveness. Let me show another function the shield has, which might be of useful if you need to gather intelligence quickly.”

Sam and Daniel went to his office and sat at his desk. Sam opened the shield software she had adapted for Daniel’s home computer and pointed towards a drop-down menu.

“You begin here, right after you pass the login.”

 

===

 

 

 

Honey Play by Eilidh17

 

The subdued sounds of the morning echoed in the sun-lit kitchen as Janet prepared the coffeemaker, mixed the waffle batter and set the table near to the window.

Daniel walked in, hair still wet, his blue robe loosely tied around him. He saw Janet, her hair up in a pony tail. In her sweatpants and a simple white t-shirt she looked like the girl next door. He always found her natural, sensuous beauty endlessly sexy.

Janet felt his eyes on her and turned around.

“You’re up.”

“You could say that.”

Sam had stayed almost until dawn and after she left he remained at his desk going over her instructions on how to use the shield’s additional features. He had missed one of his favorite times of the day, waking up next to Janet. They often snuggled up together and made sleepy love under the warm covers. He had waited for a long time to have this level of intimacy in his life and knew, better than most, how fragile and miraculous it all was.

He pulled back a chair, sat at the table and when Janet came near he pulled her gently towards him. He loved her girly laugh.

Janet welcomed the sudden attention. She knew Daniel’s moods well. This Daniel. This man who was now wrapping her around his waist and taking possession of her lips, making her body pulsate with pleasure.

Today, breakfast would have to wait.

“Well, good morning, honey-buns,” she said.

“Hmmmmorning.”

“Don’t you wanna eat breakfast?”

“I am.”

The girly laugh ringed through the room while a few articles of clothing fell on the tiled floor.

There was something about the height of those wooden kitchen chairs that the couple found irresistible. They liked facing each other, exploring their bodies at leisure and using whatever was at hand in rather creative ways.

Daniel reached back behind Janet on the table and grabbed the honey bottle.

“Honey-buns, eh?”

“You’re gonna make a mess.”

“Maybe,” he said with a lascivious look, while Janet ran her fingers through his wet hair. He smelled of morning--a mixture of soap, shaving cream and toothpaste.

He flipped the top open of the bear-like container and let a few drops fall on her shoulder. With exquisite deliberation, he licked her skin clean. She took the honey from him, put a drop on her index and slowly coated his lips. He refrained from tasting the honey, allowing Janet to take the sticky substance slowly, as she kissed him sucking the golden liquid from his fleshy lips.

Two sparkling, mischievous blue sapphires swam in two happy pools of dark chocolate.

“My turn!”

The honey rolled down Janet’s cleavage line. Heat radiated through her body as she saw him dive between her breasts in search of the golden drops. They both reveled on the pleasure of tasting the sweet nectar directly of each other’s bodies. The feeling of tongue and lips slowly massaging sensitized skin was sweetly erotic.

“Oh god. I’m getting close…” She did not need to say anything. He could feel the wetness rolling down his thighs. With the strength of his arms he helped Janet carefully slide down his length until her silken tightness drove him crazy with the need to move. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Janet pushed off her feet, firmly planted both sides of the chair and smoothly rode Daniel, bringing them both to the inevitably explosive conclusion.

Daniel thanked inwardly to whatever gods there were up there for this moment of domestic bliss.

Later, their second shower of the day over, they tackled breakfast once more. With a fork full of waffle in his hand, Daniel shot a mischievous look across the table, where Janet was drinking her coffee.

“I’ll never think of the name ‘honey-buns’ in the same way again.”

Janet, giggling, had to try very hard not to spray coffee over the sticky table.

 

===

 

Janet was coming down the stairs when she her heard the doorbell ring. She knew Daniel expected Jaliska of Aneber, the fast-speaking library director and hacker extraordinaire.

Janet found them in the library, where Jaliska was admiring Daniel’s collection of rare books. Flanked by her two hosts, Jaliska sat in front of her laptop and opened the relevant documents.

“According to the Pueblito’s foundational chart drafted by the SGC and approved by the State of Colorado, a quorum of 50 residents, who need not be US citizens, can call for immediate elections. However, the chart filed at the Municipal Hall gives the NID absolute authority to designate any local official.”

“You mean the NID simply took over?” asked Janet.

“Apparently. All we have to do is get 50 people together to run the bastards out of town,” said the librarian with a big grin.

“Actually, it’s going to be substantially more complicated than that,” said Daniel frowning.

“Why? They have no authority. We should let everyone know!”

“You can’t tell anyone, Jaliska, not one soul. We may need legal counsel and the support of the Governor and even the President. We don’t want the NID to be forewarned and legally challenge our claim. Will you sit on this until we’re ready?”

“Yes, I will. I promise.”

“Good. I’ll get the ball rolling soon. Now, what about this guy General Dunpolt?”

“Look, I must confess, I only used a regular search engine for the next query because the information was so readily available. Dunpolt and Hedwig are big names in the pharmaceutical, chemical and bio-engineering industry. Their photos appear with some regularity in the social pages attending fundraisers or charity events. The Dunpolt heirs are no longer involved with direct management but have considerable holdings in Dunpolt International. The General’s sister-in-law is Dr. Jiao Lee, CEO of Biser, the pharmaceutical giant. We know that Dr. Mel Hedwig works for General Dunpolt at the NID. Mel’s brother is Nile Hedwig, CEO of Marks, another multinational conglomerate. So, there you have it, Dunpolt, Marks and Biser, a happy little family of super huge pharmaceutical companies. So, is this of any help?”

“Yeah… Wow. Thank you. Excellent work.”

The wheels in Daniel’s mind turned quickly, linking the possible motivations of these corporations, the recent activities at the SGC and his upcoming mission. A dark heaviness formed in the pit of his stomach as his gut raised all kinds of insistent alarms.

“Jaliska, please keep digging. I want to know if there are any more companies connected to these three, but you must use extreme caution. In fact, I want you to do any further research from here. Either Janet or I will hook you up. You can’t leave any traces behind and working from here will give you total protection.”

“Okay, will do. This isn’t good news for us, right?”

“I don’t think so. Nothing is ever good or simple when the NID is involved.”

 

===

 

Daniel remained in the library for the rest of the day. The books and journals that covered the work table had been of no help in shaking the feeling that things were going to go haywire in his next mission. If he could only find the right inspiration in ancient Near Eastern laws. Of course, it was too late to change the text of the treaty, but he could still cite these legal precedents during negotiations to show that they understood the history of the Semirans and were willing to be patient in crafting an agreement that would satisfy all parties.

As Daniel searched through yet another index, Janet came into the room. She stood next to the table and looked at a book with images of Gilgamesh, the legendary ruler.

“These look familiar.”

“What do?”

“These pictures are about Gilgamesh, right?”

“Yes. They’re details of the carved stone reliefs at the Met in New York.”

“Do you remember when the Tok’ra found us near Melia?

“You mean when they captured Nirrti in the cargo transport?”

“Yeah. Nirrti had gone to look for a ship in the Crab Nebula.”

“She said she had gone back to an old lab to retrieve certain information but the lab was gone.”

“She lied. She used the transport to dock onto a larger ship whose bulkheads were covered with carvings that looked like these. It was very old and it carried some kind of ancient power module.”

“You mean a ZPM?”

“That sounds familiar. What’s a ZPM?”

“Right. My mistake. We found this after you er…. a few years ago. In your reality your colleagues never had a chance to learn about them. It’s an ancient Alteran device we call Zero Point Module, one of the strongest sources of energy we know. It draws power from subspace. We use them in our defense system and to power the Atlantis base I mentioned. We are always looking for more ZPMs.”

“In my reality, Nirrti used these modules to support her research on drone soldiers.”

“I remember you mentioned drones in your debriefing.”

“Before capture, Nirrti hid the modules in the cargo ship. If the Tok’ra look over the transport carefully, they’ll find the ZPM’s.”

“What about the on-board automatic travelogue? Won’t the Tok’ra figure out where she went?”

“Nirrti disengaged that function of the on-board computer long ago. She didn’t want anyone finding the old ship.”

“This is amazing. We need to tell Jack.”

“Daniel, please wait. I’m giving you my one and only bargaining chip. Use it carefully. You should know that there was some kind of plan behind this ancient ship. It was not the only one. Nirrti could sense some kind of threat associated with them.”

“I appreciate your trust. We’ll talk more about this when I get back from Semira and then we’ll decide how to proceed. Is that okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll write down all I remember. Would that help?”

“Absolutely. I’ll leave you a few books about Gilgamesh. It might trigger some memories that––”

The cell phone on the table began to ring. Daniel picked it up.

“Hi, Jack.”

_“Danny boy, do you remember that weasel Crawford and that whole Kinahhi mess?”_

“I wish I didn’t.”

_“This dude Limberg gives Crawford a run for his money. It turns out he is a well trained military officer. He was in the ROTC as a student and later acquired some black-ops training.”_

“I thought he was a chemist interested in botany.”

_“Well, that too. Apparently, he also worked for the US Army’s Chemical Corp as an inter-service loan. You know? Bio-weapons.”_

“Sweet.”

_“Hey, that’s my line!”_

“Well it applies. Limberg is all over this Semira thing. Can we ground him?”

_“Nope. The request that he be included in this mission came from the highest level.”_

“Jack, are you on a secure line?”

_“Of course, what’s up?”_

“I have found some disturbing news. General Dunpolt is related by birth and marriage to two huge pharmaceutical companies. His sister-in-law is the CEO of Bizer. Moreover, Mel Hedwig’s brother is the CEO of Marks. This is like The Trust, all over again.”

_“Holy shit. I wish I could cancel the next mission till we have a clear picture of who is doing what. But we can’t. Yer gonna have to keep a close eye on things from now on.”_

“Not sure what I can do about any of this, Jack. This is well above my pay cut.”

_“Just watch your six, Daniel. And talking about the Kinahhi, I’m sending SG-10 along just in case.”_

“Colonel Hank Boyd?”

_“Yup. His ex-wife has the kids this week and he’s restless. I trust him and his team to keep you safe. Besides, he owes us for saving his butt.”_

“Too many armed airmen are never helpful when negotiating a peace treaty.”

_“You need the protection.”_

“Let’s hope I don’t.”

_“Right. We’ll talk more tomorrow before the pre-mission briefing.”_

The call over, Daniel looked at Janet, concern written all over his face.

 

===

 

“You know Daniel, I’m not sure bringing work to bed is the best idea.”

“I can go work in the other room if you like,” he said giving a guilty look at the rolling work table he had dragged upstairs.

“What I mean is, you should stop worrying and get some sleep. Being up all night is not gonna help you.”

Propped up on a row of pillows, Daniel continued reviewing the treaty documents. As he scrolled the text down on his laptop he highlighted problematic areas. He was not satisfied with the phrasing and doubted the Kuruks would accept the treaty without mayor revisions. He kept looking for a way of infusing a sense of friendly flexibility into the document to show a way of reconciling all the conflicting interests, yet the right words eluded him.

On the other side of the bed, Janet sat with her own laptop warming up her legs. She typed with a steady rhythm, stopping only to correct the few typos that marred her text. The story flowed freely from her fingers tips as they moved across the keyboard. Suddenly, the fingers rested without moving and her eyes traced the words she had just written. She had intended to write about a celebration she remembered, but the narrative got away from her.

 

> _… the young man was never afraid of accusing Nirrti for causing their unspeakable pain. His family name was Yender, from the village of Sulmane in Northern Jorz. He mentioned that he had a large family. He was captured at a local festival with his identical twin brother. I never learned their first names but Nirrti labeled them Jorz-Sample I and II. JSI was kept in his cell while his twin underwent all matter of grotesque transformations. Nirrti methodically measured the results of her cruel manipulations against the “healthy” brother. She killed them both on the operating table, before removing their organs. Last thing JSI ever saw was my face. Nirrti heard him scream damning my eyes, while my own cries sounded inside our head as I cursed her fate for massacring the innocent with such impunity._

 

Janet silently dried the falling tears with the back of her hand. Daniel caught the small familiar gesture. Putting his computer and his glasses on the rolling table, he turned towards his companion.

“Come’ere, Jan.”

Janet did not fight his call. Shelving her laptop, she relaxed as Daniel pulled her down under the covers and cuddled her in his arms.

With the lights out, the spooning couple relaxed in the comforting warmth of their physical proximity. Daniel kissed the head covered with silky dark strands resting right below his chin.

“Are you okay, Jan?”

“Yeah. Just a very sad memory. She killed two young brothers, beautiful and full of life. God only knows the grief their death must have brought to their kin.”

Daniel tighten his embrace and Janet cocooned in his arms with a sigh. After a moment or two, she turned over her head and glanced at him by the light of the moon filtering through the window. It cast a silvery hue over his chiseled cheekbone, the corner of his prominent brow, his soft ruffled hair. She reached back and traced her fingers over his stubbled cheek. He responded by kissing the palm of her hand and entwining his fingers with hers as she brought his hand to rest near her heart.

“How long will you stay on that planet?”

“Semira? Two days, perhaps more. It’s a tricky place, so don’t be surprised if it takes a bit longer.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go.”

“Janet…”

“I know; it’s your job; it’s what you do. Normally, I don’t have an issue with it.”

“But…”

“I just have a bad feeling. You seem so worried about this treaty.”

“Jan, I’ll be okay. We are taking precautions.”

“You do have a record.”

“Shhhh, we always come through at the end. Don’t worry.”

“Sweetie?”

“Yeah?”

“Daniel, I just want you to know, darling, that I love you with all my heart, forever and ever.”

Janet pressed his hand to emphasize her point. He kissed her temple softly and sought her ear in the dark. His voice deepened as he spoke to her in a murmur.

“I love you too, Jan. ‘Your love has penetrated all within me. Like honey plunged into water.’”

“That’s beautiful!”

“From an ancient Egyptian love poem. I thought it rather apropos, honey-buns.”

Janet giggled.

“How about this other one? ‘My arms open wide to embrace her. And my heart is joyful in my breast. She will be to me like eternity. Her lips open wide as I kiss her. And I am joyful even without beer.’”

“Even without beer! Wow, that’s really something,” Janet said laughing.

“Or wine, I might add, just as a purely personal note.”

“I’m flattered. I think. How about chocolate or coffee?”

“Ah, I don’t know about that….”

“Daniel!”

“Honestly, would you want me when I’m deprived of coffee or chocolate?”

“Well, when you put it like that, I guess not.”

“Hey, what happened to I love you forever and ever?”

“As long as you come caffeinated.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Well, a girl must have her limits, honey-buns.”

They both laughed until sleep found them, taking them into a peaceful slumber with a contented smile on their faces.

 

===

 

The pre-mission briefing was considerably more crowded than usual. The members of SG-9 and SG-10 were there, along with Dr. Mark Limberg, Generals Jack O’Neil and Hank Landry.

Jack got coffee, and so did everyone else, which was the norm when Daniel brought a digital projector to a meeting. Once everyone was seated, Jack gave Daniel a nod to start.

“For the record, our ETA on P2D-375, or Semira, is today October 19, 2011 at 07:00, local time. They have a 25-hour day-cycle and we are ahead by around 6 hours, which may hinder communications. This is a rather complicated world. It was once ruled by a Goa’uld we never encountered, Ishtar, who has a massive mythology complex all over the Near East. She colonized the planet with transplanted humans but quickly lost interest in it after most of its limited naquadah was extracted. After her departure the local population kept the Gate buried until recently, when we found them through our cold dialing program.”

Daniel turned towards the map behind him.

“Semira developed in relative isolation into two separate nations that reside in the only two continents in the planet. Nim, the size of Australia, is half-way from the Equator and the pole. The local language is Akkadian with substantial Goa’uld vocabulary. Nims appear to have made a degree of progress comparable to that of Western Europe in the early 1800s. This is an agrarian society with a substantial industrial complex next to the capital Nimer, to where we are gating. They have a strong military that has been regularly raiding the other continent for resources.

“Kuruk, more or less the size of Africa, extends horizontally along the equatorial region. It's warm climate and long rainy seasons assure a vast coast-to-coast rain forest. Its inhabitants speak Sumerian, with considerably less Goa’uld vocabulary. We know little about them.

“Relations between Nims and Kuruks are strained and built upon a basis of mutual distrust. The Nims accuse the Kuruks of being unwilling to engage in fair trade and using the impenetrable jungle to hide their riches. It’s rather hard to judge the Kuruks’ level of development as they refuse to open their lands. They dress simply, are very articulate and dignified and present sophisticated arguments about protecting their political sovereignty, cultural freedom and the environmental health of their territory. Certainly, they are not the wild salvages the Nims make them to be. We learned from the Nox and the Salish how foolish it is to make such assumptions.

“In frustration, Nim profiteers have tried without success to establish by force a permanent beach-head on Kuruk. Their limited weapons can do little against the vast forest. In preliminary talks, the Nims tried to use us, the Tau’ri, to wedge the door open to their expansionist project. The see us as their natural allies in harvesting Kuruk’s natural resources.

“Our treaty will try to establish separate avenues for trade, while negotiating a period of peace between these two nations so they can come to some kind of agreement. We are proposing that Kuruk temporarily open a small island near their continent to have a market fair once or twice a year, just to develop some kind of trust.”

“Dr. Jackson, what if the Nims take over the island?” asked Colonel Henry Boyd, leader of SG-10, who would walk though fire to keep SG-1 safe after they had rescued him and his team from imminent death.

“The place is practically a sand bank, only visible during a month or two a year on the lowest tides. We chose this site because it fails to provide a stable enough environment to be of military use. If it were, the Nims would have taken it already.

“Frankly, I don’t have high hopes our proposal will succeed. We don’t have a good record of peacemaking when we encounter two worlds poised for war. The Nims want weapons to forward their continental expansion and the Kuruks will not trade unless we refuse such weapons.”

“We could give weapons to both sides. We certainly have done that in the past,” argued Limberg.

“It never works, it just blows up in our faces.”

Almost everyone in the room remembered the events in Kelowna and shuddered.

“Dr. Jackson, I don’t mean to discount your experience, but why try to mend their fences? They want war why not let them. It’s their business. All we want is the natural resources.”

Jack, who was as always acting distracted to better observe the reactions of the people involved in the meeting had already noticed Limberg’s focused intensity.

“Dr. Limberg, or is it Captain Limberg?”

Limberg turned slowly towards Jack, his eyes hard and his expression neutral.

“I’m retired, General. I’d prefer my academic title.”

“We could call you Captain Doctor; it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Limberg’s total lack of a sense of humor raised Jack’s already glaring alarms up a notch.

“At any rate, we don’t trade with unstable worlds. It tends to make them, you know, more unstable. Things blow, people get killed, we get bit in the ass. There are plenty of other planets out there who are more willing and ready. Why should we risk it?”

“As I said, we need Kuruk’s resources,” insisted Limberg. “In their rain forest we could find cures for innumerable Earth diseases. Imagine how many people could be saved by just a single plant with the right qualities? And they have a huge continent waiting to be explored and studied and, yes, exploited, but for the betterment of everyone. What’s wrong with that?”

“You were paying attention when I said Kuruk is a sovereign nation, right?” asked Daniel, his eyebrows knotted together. “It’s _their_ land. They have been protecting it for thousands of years. Don’t you think they know better than anyone what to do with it? What makes you think we would have done any better? Look at our world, one step from financial chaos and on the edge of global warming! How can you––”

“How can YOU possibly compare us with these people? We’ve come so much farther!”

“Gentlemen! We are not here to have a philosophical discussion. We have a mission to run. Dr. Limberg, I’d appreciate it if you keep your personal views to yourself while on this mission. This is not our first barbeque. If you plan to have this kind of discussion during a delicate trade negotiation, I’ll pull you off the team, I don’t care who recommended you.”

“I apologize General Landry. I’m offering a different perspective but only on the context of this meeting.”

“Make sure of that. You really don’t want to find out what the penalties are for willfully endangering our personnel off world.”

“Yes sir.”

“Please, Dr. Jackson, proceed with your briefing.”

“Negotiations will take place in three stages….”

Jack tuned the rest out. Limberg was a pushy bastard. Who was pulling his strings? He definitely needed more information on this guy and soon. He excused himself and left the meeting. He had some phone calls to make.

Daniel saw Jack right before departure. The General called him and Boyd to one corner.

“Hank, you have already read Limberg’s file. I wanted to add something more to our conversation. He came recommended by the White House. Apparently, he worked many years for Angel Bioengineering. It’s CEO is Nevin Shaw, who was an acquaintance of the President during his college years. So, there you have it Daniel, Dunpolt, Marks, Beizer and Angel, all riding our collective asses. Boyd, I’m making you personally responsible for Daniel’s safety. This mission stinks so bad that…”

“General, I get the point. We’ll be careful.”

Jack nodded, pressed Daniel’s shoulder with affection, gave Boyd a nod and walked to the Control Room. The Gate had already begun its dialing sequence. After the kawoosh dissipated, the M.A.L.P. moved up the ramp and into the gently rippling surface.

A few minutes later, Landry turned on the comm system and spoke loud and clear.

“Colonel Boyd, have your team check back with the SGC every three hours to advise us of your progress. We are clearing the schedule to receive your reports. You all have a go.”

Following Daniel, the group of men and women, including SG-9, SG-10 and two scientific advisors, moved forward and disappeared into the shimmering blue.

 

===


	8. Entrapment

 

Vala picked up the pretty necklace from the rough surface of the market table, looked at it with interest for a moment and put it back down. Her eyes darted back to the short man with the furry vest walking ahead of her. Behaving like a fickle shopper, Vala followed the man through the crowded fair until he went into the local inn.

The dark haired woman pulled back the billowy sleeves of her white blouse and loosened the loops of her brown corset to expose her beautiful cleavage. She swept back her lustrous black hair with a girly gesture but her eyes’ steely determination was unfaltering. Pushing the heavy door, Vala entered the rustic interior where many of the local men and women sat around wooden tables eating and drinking. The murmur of conversations and occasional laughter filled the room.

Vala found an empty spot on the bench at the end of a long table. She was sitting right behind the man she followed, but she avoided looking at him directly. From the oversize pocket of her long brown skirt she took out a small embroidery and began working on it. She played to perfection the picture of a pretty, harmless visitor that was not seeking attention. The message was effective and people soon ignored her. The inn keeper brought her the same thing everyone else was having, ale and a bowl of a surprisingly savory stew made with local fowl. Vala raised her goblet and spied Mr. Furry Vest talking to a second man, dressed in a long dark wool coat. Subtly she activated the sound amplifier hidden in her ear, under her curls. Their quiet voices were barely audible in the full room.

There was something interesting about their conversation. Mr. Long Coat spoke in a rather tentative English--the common language--as if he were a new speaker. No wonder he seemed so out of the loop.

They were discussing an arms deal. No, not a deal, more like an appraisal of the value and capabilities of various weapons. So, these folks got themselves some new stuff and didn’t know what they had or how to trade for it. They were smart in informing themselves, she gave them that..

“When will your shipment arrive?” asked Furry Vest.

“Soon in the future,” said Long Coat. He gave limited information but his ignorance was rather telling.

“Well, my friend, in order to help you, you will have to tell me what the weapons are or even who is your supplier, or show them to me. Unless I have more details it will be difficult to answer any specific questions about them.”

Long Coat hesitated. “I will ask you then another question. What types of weapons are sold in the market?”

Patiently, Vala sat through their protracted discussion, guessing that Long Coat must have paid a pretty penny for this effective education on the weaponry produced by all the groups she had encountered in her many travels through the galaxy. A word in the conversation, made her pay sharper attention to Furry Vest’s rambling explanation.

“…the Tau’ri do too. The Tau’ri also design their own weapons, but they are seldom for sale. Once in a while a small weapon or a larger multi-projectile gun they call a peeninety comes through the market, but they are so rare they have become collector’s items.”

“Are these Tau’ri weapons considered outdated like those of the Tollans?” asked Long Coat with a degree of concern that raised all kinds of flags in Vala’s mind.

“No, they can be remarkably effective. Tau’ri soldiers have been observed using a variety of guns and projectiles, but they require the specific projectiles that the guns shoot. Without a steady supply of these so-called bullets, the weapons are useless.”

“So one needs to include a large amount of bullets in a negotiation for Tau’ri weapons.”

“That is true. You will need the specific ammunition type for a given projectile weapon.”

“Would trading projectiles only be a lucrative market?”

“There are not enough Tau’ri weapons to make it so.”

“They don’t commonly trade weapons?”

“Tau’ri weapons are fairly effective so they seldom trade them. The only ones in the market are those captured by the Ori or the Alliance.”

“Do the Lucian weapons function the same way?”

“Some of them do.”

“Tell me about the Goa’uld weapons. It is true that staff weapons are powerful in maintaining control over large populations?”

“The Jaffa have used plasma weapons for millennia to maintain the power of their Goa’uld masters. They do not need projectiles. Most of them use a liquid naquadah power source that lasts for a very long time.”

Vala could see the man struggling to process all this information. Obviously these people did not get around much.

“Yet the Tau’ri still managed to defeat them,” Long Coat noted.

“Because the Tau’ri were not interested in territorial expansion only on eliminating the Goa’uld threat.”

“So using both weapons would be effective in taking and keeping a territory.”

It was not a question, but a conclusion.

“So, can one buy Goa’uld staff weapons?” Long Coat finally asked.

“I have a contact on Chulak. Once I get your order in I’ll talk to my colleague,” responded the other man.

“I must first discuss the excellent information you gave me with my superiors. Tell me about prices and fees.”

Vala had heard enough. After dropping a couple of coins on the table, she went by the two trading men and tripped on her long skirts. Seeking support, she momentarily grabbed the arm of the long-coat man leaving behind an invisible microchip with a long range locator signal. It would last for a week.

The woman apologized and left the inn without further delay, making sure she was not followed. The exchange Vala heard spelled the kind of big trouble that justified ending her primary reason for being on this forsaken planet: a weapon trade agreement between Alliance leaders. Finding a quiet alley she pressed the red button of her locator device. After a minute and a bright flash she found herself on the deck of the Odyssey.

“Princess, are you cutting short your vacation?”

“Hey, Cam, thanks for the assist. We should to contact the SGC and Chulak.”

“We should? What’s the story?”

“Buy me some coffee and I’ll tell you all about it.”

 

===

 

Vala removed her face mask and picked up the ringing phone. She liked getting a few hours of beauty sleep whenever she could and her room at the SGC had been too good an opportunity to pass.

“Vala’s Palace and Beach Resort.”

“Princess, Landry has been in meetings all day but I was able to reach him for a few minutes. He approved our request. We are gating to Chulak in ten minutes. Meet you at the Embarkation Room.”

“I’ll be there.”

With practiced hands, Vala pulled her hair into a pony tail as she made her way through the quiet hallways under Cheyenne Mountain, which was already under the watchful care of the paired down evening shift.

Near the base of the ramp, Cameron Mitchell looked at the chevrons locking in place one by one. Once Vala secured her weapons, they double-checked their GDO codes. The kawoosh burst near them with sublime fury, its powerful combination of explosion and implosion never failing to awe them.

A few seconds after stepping through the Stargate the two SG-1 members arrived on Chulak, the temporary administrative capital of the Jaffa nation while Dakara was being reconstructed.

“Hey Muscles!” Vala said to Teal’c, his head nodding in dignified salute. The Jaffa member of SG-1, on leave while serving in the Chulakian council, led them on the walk towards the old city under the morning light of the distant twin suns. They stepped under an arch and followed a circuitous path through a maze of long colonnaded galleries and airy atriums populated with male and female Jaffas who saluted them with a nod. Finally, they arrived at a comfortable meeting room where they sat at a conference table. Teal’c got down to business.

“Vala Mal Doran, I have been told that you have important information for us.”

“Teal’c, Tau’ri weapons may soon come to a market near you. I listened to a conversation between a man acting on behalf of an unidentified group planning some kind of territorial take-over and a well-known weapons dealer. They discussed Tau’ri and Jaffa weapons. My guess is that they expect a shipment of Tau’ri weapons, part of which will be traded for Jaffa ones in order to help with their little war. The arm dealer mentioned a contact on Chulak.”

Teal’c raised an eyebrow while considering his response. He knew the Tau’ri almost never engaged in weapons trading and would not do so openly through a trusted ally like the Jaffa without prior authorization. Yet he also knew that his teammate was most adept at intelligence gathering. He trusted her instincts.

“Vala Mal Doran, I will make some inquiries among the members of the council before we assemble tomorrow morning. We will be on deliberation all day and interruptions to the schedule for matters that are not of utmost urgency are seen as disruptive and not allowed. What details have you learned about this weapons transaction?

“I have a nice story to tell,” said Vala, looking around the room for signs of food. “Who wants to buy me dinner, gentlemen?”

 

===

 

Daniel regained consciousness believing that he was still in a nightmarish dream in which he had lost all control over his body. He felt a sudden flash of terror. Had he been taken by Goa’uld as a host? He opened his eyes, only to realize that his situation was only marginally better. His attempt to move was met by the painful pull of his limbs, stretched open and shackled down.

Overwhelmed and disoriented, he lapsed momentarily into a dull dream-like state. Eventually the imperative to wake up and seek answers jarred him back into the dark reality of the damp cell. He raised his head and even as the strained muscles of his neck protested he looked around with an unfocused gaze. The only visible light came from dying embers in a fire pit not too far from him. More than see them, he could hear the faint crackle of the cinders and observe their reddish glow reflecting on the chains hanging from the ghostly arches overhead. He seemed to be chained to a circular platform. The rest of the room receded into darkness but the damp smell and the faint, distant sounds that echoed through the space suggested the cavernous interior of a towering structure.

He tried to check his body. His feet and torso were naked but he was still wearing his camo pants. Was that a good sign? He could not tell. He hurt in so many places that he found it hard to determine the true state of his body. All his muscles seemed to thrum with an aching pulse. He was cold, wet and covered, judging by the stench, by other bodily fluids; he was thirsty and his mouth was filled with a coppery taste he knew well.

Only one thing was certain: his world was now a somber cup of overflowing misery. How long had he been here? He could not remember. Without his glasses and with limited mobility Daniel had no chance to figure out his location. His attention wavered. Fleeting images of men screaming at him swam at the edge of his consciousness. He fought to become more alert but the reward was a new wave of pain and hopelessness.

Yet, he resisted. He needed to think, to remember what happened. The stubbing soreness of his shackled wrists and ankles brought him to a sudden focus.

An image flashed in Daniel’s mind and he desperately latched onto it, slowly conjuring its meaning out of its fraying edges. He centered on the unrelenting pain to clear his mind. Two men talking. He knew one of them. Limberg, the phytochemist. He was standing next to a Nim. But something was wrong. They were speaking in English. Very odd.

Exhausted by the effort, Daniel struggled to keep his breathing steady through the painful spasm of muscles stretched for too long. Yet he needed to remain alert. Memories trickled slowly into his mind, flashes of images and words he desperately tried to put into some kind of rational sequence. He ran his tongue over his parched lips, but it was an empty, nervous gesture. His mouth was dry and the skin of his lips was beginning to break.

After a few minutes he took account of the few facts he remembered: he had gated with SG-9 and SG-10 to negotiate a treaty between Nim and Kuruk. There was little progress made and then acrimonious accusations of unprovoked raids, villages destroyed and resources horded ground the negotiations to a halt. After a few hours there had been an official dinner and then nothing.

He was now trapped alone in the darkness. He would kill for a few drops of precious water and the ability to move his arms and legs to stop the painful spasms that wracked his body. What happened to him? Were all his team mates imprisoned as well? How long had he been here?

“Help me! Anyone, help me!!” shouted Daniel with a supreme effort. His rough voice resonated in the vast darkness but there was no answer.

Discouraged and exhausted, his overtaxed muscles pulsing in pain, Daniel struggled to keep awake. Suddenly, a name came into his mind that filled him with anguished longing: Janet. Her memory felt like a warm embrace in the dank darkness of the cellar. He turned towards her but not with clear thoughts, he was too confused for that, but with a series of emotional movements that he understood without translating them into the internal language of the mind. She was right for him. She had ended his lonely existence. She knew about living a life made up of fractured pieces and unyielding loses. Had he lost that shared life forever? Who would find him now? And who would care for Janet’s fate?

The only answer Daniel heard was the sound on his own hoarse crying.

The effort to hold on to Janet spent the little energy he had left. Right as he was about to fall into an inky stupor, his mind glowed with a single image of radiant happiness. Janet, basking under the warm sunlight that bathed the green undulating grasslands outside Pueblito. She was smiling at him, her vivid dark eyes filled with love. He wanted to let go and keep this enchanting mirage suspended for ever in his imagination; let go and find peace in the contemplation of her lovely face. But there was an intense insistence in Janet’s eyes that beckoned him home. She was waiting for him. The thought of failing her so completely broke his heart. His head dropped to the side and before the tear sliding down his cheek touched the surface of the table he sunk into a hapless oblivion.

 

===

 

Janet Faiser left Dr. Warris’ office after her regular morning appointment wondering if she ever would be able to move beyond the lasting shadow that Nirrti had cast over her life. She remembered her victims and wrote about them. She shared their memory with her therapist and wrote about them some more. Yet it all felt like she was trying to empty the sea with a small bucket.

Shivering in the cold air trapped in the compact car Daniel had gotten for them, Janet drove through the parking lot behind the clinic to take the Flanders street exit and drive directly home. The exit was blocked. She turned right towards Homer Boulevard. A crew was working on the west side of the avenue, so she turn left. Another crew blocked Bouvier Street, so she continued towards North Groening. It was the long way home but there was little choice. Maybe it would be a good time to continue on towards the supermarket. At mid-morning the place would not be crowded yet with people preparing for the bad weather ahead.

Janet turned on the car’s CD player and began easing the disk out of the case lying on the seat next to her. It was then that she felt one of the car’s tires deflate and begin thumping loudly on the pavement. Janet slowed down and parked. She was only one block from home but also a short enough walk from Pueblito’s Car Shop that she could ask for help directly.

By the time Janet had turned off the engine and gathered her purse her car was surrounded by two black SUVs and several armed men. Two of them stood next to the car’s front doors. She had little time to consider options but after the back window exploded behind her the only sensible thing was to get out of the car. Standing on the street and shaking off the glass shards from her hair, she suddenly felt an acute prick on her neck. Then the world went black.

The guards grabbed the falling woman and placed her in the trunk of the closest vehicle. The black cars quickly turned around towards Homer Boulevard and disappeared in the morning traffic. The whole operation had taken less than three minutes.

 

===

 

General Landry waited patiently until Etanak, the Trade Representative from Nim, got ready to speak to the SGC via a small computer tablet linked to the M.A.L.P. The upgraded units were equipped with miniaturized cell transceivers giving off-world teams increased digital communication capabilities. The mobile units automatically uploaded the collected data and daily field reports to the secured SGC server every time the gate was open. Landry liked fact that he could activate the M.A.L.P.’s self-destruction sequence with a command from the SGC if necessary.

The General glanced at the screen to make sure he was well framed. Finally, Colonel Kovacek of SG-9 told Representative Etanak that he was already being broadcasted. The man was distracted looking at his own image on the tablet as they did not have moving images in Semira yet. The tall man, dressed in a long and fitted dark coat, collected his thoughts for a moment before speaking.

Though English was a relatively new language for him he managed well speaking slowly and choosing his words carefully.

“General Landry, I wish we would speak in better moments.”

“Thank you, Representative Etanak. I am surprised that you can speak directly to us. We understood that nobody in Semira spoke in English,” said Landry enunciating clearly and hiding with a neutral expression any doubts that the Nims were either liars or very fast learners. Or perhaps both.

“Only few of us speak it, General Landry. We are learning the common language. We wish to be able to communicate with other worlds,” he offered as an explanation. After clearing his throat, he continued. “Colonel Kovacek told you Dr. Jackson and the team SG-10 went to Kuruk with no authorization. We believe they had a small sail ship to go.”

“How do you know, Representative Etanak?”

“We have a person who saw them at the port. They boarded a ship last night. The water was high and the port channel was open.”

“Representative Etanak, our people do not leave without authorization,” said Landry. That they all had in the past would not aid his argument; besides, it was highly unlikely such was the case this time.

“Not their blame, General Landry. Dr. Jackson is very intelligent and seeks the truth. The delegates from Kuruk made allegations during discussions. I am sorry that some were true. But not now, in the past, long ago. Relations are better now; but questions and confusion remain. We told Dr. Jackson it is not safe to visit Kuruk to see things in person, but he wanted to go. We are sorry for his departure and the team. Now all we can do is wait for their return.”

“Representative Etanak, we would like to ask the government of Nim for permission to send a group from the SGC to find our people.”

“I understand, General Landry. Probably Premier Sarganad will say yes, but I must ask first. I will contact you back later.”

“Mr. Etanak, we hope you will get back in touch with us as soon as possible. Please sir, ask Colonel Kovacek to talk to us next? Thank you.”

Kovacek pointed the tablet’s camera towards him, his face set on neutral.

“Colonel, your inbox.”

Kavacek took the tablet and quickly opened his mail. Landry’s message was categorical.

_Suspend negotiations immediately and continue with your investigation. SG-3 & SG-12 have been recalled. With or without local authorization, their ETA in Semira is appox. 2 hrs. G. Landry. _

“Roger that, sir. Anything else?”

“Watch your six, son. Over and out.”

Before leaving the control room, General Landry turned towards the airman seated at the communication console.

“Phillips, let me know when SG-3 gets here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Seated at his desk, Landry took a deep breath. Everything Etanak had said was most likely a lie. Kovacek had sent him a detailed report via email earlier that morning after Boyd had failed to check in.

At the insistence of the Semirans, Dr. Jackson and SG-10 had been staying at the location where the negotiations took place, the Commerce Lodge near the port area. That was at least a three-hour walk from the Stargate, situated at the other end of the sprawling city. It had taken several hours for Kovacek and his team to find their way to the Lodge. Language barriers and uncooperative Semiran authorities made the search for team members difficult. Finally, they located Dr. Limberg who argued his radio headset went missing while he was sleeping. He had been informed of Dr. Jackson and SG-10’s departure that morning and had unilaterally decided to continue negotiating with the Semirans on behalf of the SGC. As ordered, Boyd and his team had stuck to Jackson like super-glue. Probably, the reason why they had all disappeared at the same time.

There would be no open accusations until Laundry could get his people in place for a thorough search. The Semirans had buried the Gate once and could do it again. Landry wished the mission was not under such close scrutiny at the top levels, but it was a new administration and still wrapping their minds about the existence of the Stargate program. For the moment, the General had two important phone calls to make to update his chain of command and the most difficult one would not be to the White House. Jack O’Neill, already on his way to the base, was not going to like the most recent turn of events.

 

===

 

Sleep clouded Colonel Henry Boyd’s awareness like a fog bank. His eyes fluttered but there was only darkness. Was he really floating blindly in a foul smelling swamp?

“Colonel Boyd! Wake up, sir!” said a soft voice somewhere in the swamp.

“Where are you?”

“Sir, we’re in a very dark cell,” answered Sergeant Amanda King, a member of SG-10.

Still fighting his mental confusion, Boyd slowly checked his body for injuries. His head was thrumming with pain, but the rest seemed to be more or less okay. He sat down slowly, fighting the nausea and noticing the damp stones under his fingers. This was not a swamp, but the insistent stench of human waste assaulted his senses.

“You were injured. We woke up here a few hours ago.”

“What time is it?”

“Right before dawn. We’ve been here for a few hours. Major Watts and Colville are also here. Unfortunately, Dr. Jackson is not with us.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“We tried. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up to attempt escape. Sir, do you have the bonus foggy hangover?”

“No, just the killer headache.”

“We think it was that fruit punch we had at dinner. It had a strong, unfamiliar flavor. Easy to spike,” proposed King.

“I didn’t drink it. I got the other party favor, the big bump on the head.”

“Sir, our guns, ammo and comm gear are gone, but they forgot to check our pockets. I have the C4,” said Major Watts.

“Flashlights?”

“A small one, sir. Watch your eyes,” asked Major Colville. Even though the tall man was holding the light well above their eyes, the initial flash blinded them. The light felt like a blunt punch to the head, which made Boyd covered his eyes. Eventually, they were able to examine their downgraded accommodations: they were trapped in a stone cell behind a thick wooden door reinforced with metal.

“Did anyone find the chocolate mints?”

“Afraid not, King. How about if we do a bit of sightseeing?” said Boyd. “Watts, take care of the door. Then we look for Jackson. I bet he’s somewhere in here.”

Once, SG-1 had faced incredible odds to rescue his team and Boyd would do whatever it was necessary to protect any of them.

“What about Limberg and SG-9?”

“SG-9 is probably looking for us. But keep an eye open for them too. And if you see Limberg, arrest him.”

“How come?”

“I’m pretty sure he’s behind all this. General O’Neill and Dr. Jackson were suspicious about him and they know people better than anyone.”

The team huddled in a corner. A few seconds later, a blinding flash preceded a loud thump and the smell of burnt wood and chemicals filled the air. Boyd got up still unsteady on his feet.

“Watts, open the door and take a look.”

They heard the a heavy groan of the wood and after a few minutes Watts gave the go ahead.

“We’ll follow the ramp to the bottom and then work our way up. Keep a tight formation,” ordered Boyd.

Moving like silent ghosts--Watts and Colville in the advanced position, Boyd and King closing up the rear--they followed the reddish glow at the end of the curving, downwardly sloping hallway. They encountered nothing but empty cells. Distant echoes of doors slamming made them pause, but after a moment they continued moving towards the ominous glow.

The passage finally opened to a circular, cavernous room. Boyd and Watts took position either side of the dark entrance and quietly observed a shabbily clothed Nim working near a fire pit. The subdued flames abandoned the top of the vertical space to uncertain shadows. The upwardly projecting arches and disquieting beams laden with hanging chains made the member of SG-10, still hidden behind the doorway, shiver with apprehension.

The Nim pushed a strange, bulky contraption by the side of the pit. It was some kind of primitive device that suggested that heat or even electricity was somehow involved in its functioning. The crude clamps at the end of its various cables coated with a rubbery resin raised the soldiers’ alarm to a higher level.

Slowly, the Nim receded into the dark space and stood in front of table. Boyd realized there was somebody laying on it in perfect stillness. The man unshackled the prisoner’s legs and ripped some fabric off. He walked to the other end of the flat surface and manipulated what sounded like a chain. He threw a bucket of water over the prostrated figure and then walked to a series of levers half hidden in the dark and pulled one of them. With a sick feeling Boyd saw the body on the table being hoisted up by the wrists to be tied overhead.

“Oh my god, it’s Dr. Jackson!” came King’s anxious voice.

Suspended in the center of the towering chamber, Daniel’s dripping, naked body hung by his tied arms from a hook so his feet were well above the ground.

Major Watts, a big man, suddenly left his hiding place and walked into the room without warning and without hesitation. He looked around and found a metal pipe. He swung his arm in a wide arc bringing the pipe down with a disturbing thud on the Nim’s head. Alarmed by the sudden threat, the man had partially turned around before falling to the floor without a word. He was dead.

Pushing down the shock of the sudden death, Boyd and Colville expediently dragged the body to a dark corner. King moved closer to the hanging man.

“He seems to be breathing.” As Watts stood next to her she briefly grabbed his arm. She understood his reaction and would not question it.

Moving closer to the fire pit, Boyd looked for a way of lowering the hook suspending Daniel above them. He found a rusty metal pedestal with a series of levers. He pulled one down and the metallic sound of wheels turning echoed through the room. Daniel’s body swayed as the chain above him began to move.

Wrong lever.

Boyd tried the other handles until he found one that slowly lowered the chain. Swiftly, the men unhooked their comrade and freed his hands. King wrapped him in an old blanket she found near the fire pit.

Daniel was unconscious but still alive.

Although the whole procedure had been executed quickly and complete silence, the machinery involved in moving the chained hook had been noisy. Hoping against hope that nobody had been alerted, SG-10 prepared to leave.

The unwelcomed sound of approaching feet made SG-10 freeze and assess their situation.

Out of the shadows at least a dozen soldiers armed with swords and spears steeped into the circular space.

Instinctively, SG-10 huddled around Watts who was holding Daniel in a fireman’s carry. They moved backwards away from the incoming hostiles until there was little floor left behind them.

“You’re making a huge mistake,” said Boyd.

“Everyone negotiates. Your world will give us weapons in exchange for your lives.”

Boyd and his team turned around in search of the voice. A hand held lamp revealed a balcony of sorts in the upper section of the tower. The voice said nothing else.

Boyd realized that they were standing at the edge of what it seemed like a bottomless pit. Taking advantage of his fleeting distraction and with a few well-placed blunt blows from their long lances, the Semiran soldiers pushed them all over the edge.

The fall, two or three seconds of sheer terror, seemed infinite. Panting in fear, they collapsed on contact with the ground but the impact was absorbed by a soft layer of organic fiber that smelled slightly of seawater. Disoriented and shocked, everyone struggled to regain control of their breathing.

“Everyone okay?” murmured Boyd. The only defense they had were the shadows that surrounded them.

Everyone responded, except Daniels. “Watts, how’s Jackson?”

“Still unconscious, sir.”

“Check him out but keep it quiet.”

Boyd and Colville moved around the stone pit, methodically surveying their new cell. They felt their way in the dark with their fingers, identifying little besides a rudimentary latrine, an empty food container and a pile of rags. These were discouraging signs of long term habitation.

In the meanwhile, Watts and King blindly checked Daniel over with their hands for possible injuries. With relief, they found no obvious signs of fractured bones, cracked ribs, or dislocated shoulders. In a slow, fluid motion Watts lowered Daniel’s arms and placed them against his exposed body. He reacted to this change in position with a painful cry that savagely pulled him out of unconsciousness and thrust him onto a rather uncomfortable reality.

“Dr. Jackson, please be quiet. We’re gonna bandage your wrists and ankles. They’re bleeding. If you open your mouth, I’ll give you a painkiller,” Watts said, finding Daniel’s face in the dark and pushing the pill through his parched lips. “We’re gonna wrap you with a blanket and try to keep you warm. Sorry, it doesn’t smell that great.”

“Thank you. Call me Daniel,” said the barely audible voice.

“Daniel, can you tell us what happened to you?” sounded Boyd’s low voice in the dark.

“They… chained me to a table… he shocked me… thirsty.”

King searched with her fingers for Daniel’s neck and with utter care she raised his head. They had little water left, but he seemed to need it the most.

“Dr. Jackson, drink slowly, just a bit.”

The water helped Daniel regain his bearings.

“Call me Daniel. He was mad… coz I said nothing… hung me up… couldn’t breath.”

“Daniel, can you move your hands and feet?”

“Yeah… sore.”

“What else do you remember?”

“Limberg. Talked to a Nim in English… it was wrong.”

“I’m sorry Daniel, we let our guard down. We allowed them to drug us,” said Boyd, feeling he had failed the one mission Jack had given him, to protect Daniel.

“Hank, what happened?”

“We woke up in a cell upstairs. We escaped and went looking for you.”

“Well… found me,” said Daniel trying to smile but only managing to wince.

“Limberg must be negotiating now, or dead. The Nims have upped their game. Daniel, do you remember how they brought you down here?”

“Dunno. It’s all a blur.”

“Shock could affect your short term memory.”

Daniel remained silent but his fingers wrapped around the small canteen. King got the message and raised it again to his lips.

“How do you feel, Daniel?” asked Boyd.

“I’m fine.”

Boyd’s eye-roll was wasted in the dark.

“Daniel, I need a realistic assessment. We have to make escape plans. Do you feel any pain?”

“Everything hurts, but I’ll live. Arms are stiff.”

“Can you walk?”

“Help me up.”

King and Boyd pushed Daniel up which proved tricky without grabbing his arms or brushing against exposed private parts. They propped him up against the wall and after an initial wave of dizziness the archeologist began to find his legs. He was thankful for the dark and for the blanket that Watts had fit through his head like a poncho. It hung loose around his body providing some protection against the cold, damp air. A hand found his and put in it a small energy bar and something soft, which after a more careful examination turned out to be a pair of socks.

“Thank you.”

Boyd made a decision. “It’s been more than six hours since we missed our last check-in with the SGC. They must be looking for us but I doubt they’ll be able to find us in this hell hole. We need an escape plan. I know you are not quite ready Daniel.”

“I’m fine.”

Nobody said anything.

“Honestly, I feel better.”

They all waited in silence.

“OK, right. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to climb the pit. My arms are a bit of a mess. But you know where I am. You guys should go and get help. Come back for me later. I’d only slow you down.”

“We’re all leaving together.”

Daniel knew better than to continue that line of argument with Henry Boyd. He was still in a daze and his energy was limited.

“Watts, Colville, got the light and the rest of the C4?”

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

“Let’s take a closer look at this dump. Daniel, I suggest you get some sleep. There isn’t much else you can do for the moment.”

Daniel let himself slide down the wall. He curled himself into a fetal position, gingerly placed his bruised arms next to his chest and fell asleep.

 

===

 

Mayor Morton J. Loxy sat at his office in the Municipal Hall overlooking Simpson Square. ‘Where there hell are those anti-acid tablets?’ he thought as his hand blindly searched in the depth of a desk drawer. The dangerous mess that had landed on his lap, not to mention the hamburger he had for lunch, made his stomach churn setting his esophagus on fire.

Loxy desperately needed to speak with Dunpolt and had been on his phone on hold for ten minutes already. He had no hope that the general would recognize the considerable initiative he had shown in getting their prize in spite of the impenetrable shield that for almost a week now had blocked the electronic surveillance of the northeastern quadrant of the town. His request for help from Area 51 experts had not been authorized by the Director of Homeworld Security and overturning such decisions was well above his pay cut. The NID guards with their limited knowledge of the finer points of alien technology were ineffectual against it.

He had succeeded where everyone else had failed, but the stress of achieving this goal had resulted in an awful, unending heartburn.

‘What did I do with those pills?’ the man kept asking himself.

Yet, part of him was quite satisfied with the results. For Loxy, there had been only one possible plan which had required careful coordination, strict discipline and great patience. He had waited until the subjects were both isolated and outside the shield’s protection. Once their man at the SGC let them know that Jackson was off-world, he put his people in place. It had taken many hours of careful surveillance. Sooner or later the woman had to leave the house to keep her regular appointment at the clinic. A quiet spot on the peripheral road, a handy syringe with a fast acting tranquilizer, and a bit of good luck did the rest. Without Jackson around, it had been relatively easy to grab Fraiser. Chief of security Andy Teufel had been practically giddy when he called Loxy with the news.

But after many hours of inaction, Loxy was beginning to worry. He needed Dunpolt and the NID to put some distance between such huge liability and his office without further delay. The weekend was about to start and there was bad weather on the way, which could create chaos for everyone involved. After all, he argued in his mind, he had plans and being accused of kidnapping--or worse, made to disappear like Mel Hedwig--was not one of them. He was not the one who needed this prisoner. It was now time for General Dunplot to step up to the plate and take the woman off his hands.

‘Why was the man taking so long to get on the damned phone?’ thought Loxy, unable to contain his increasingly anxious thoughts.

Loxy put his cell phone on speaker—the message of “please, stand by” endlessly repeating. His search for anti-acids became more frantic as he checked every drawer on his desk and nearby consoles. A quick search of the washroom and the closet proved equally fruitless. No tablets anywhere, which meant that the closest stash was at his residence next door.

‘Should I go now or wait until this call is over? How much longer can it take?’ Loxy weighed in his mind the need for stomach relief and the storm brewing in the basement. A new wave of burning acid made the decision for him. He’d go back to the residence. After all, weren’t cell phones meant to give people greater mobility?

Morton Loxy took the back stairs but avoided the basement and the direct tunnel to his home. It was faster, but cell phone reception was null.

He used the west door and walked towards the street separating the hall from the side of his manicured garden.

He put the cell phone on his ear, just to make sure he was still on hold. He wasn't.

“Who’s this? Answer you MORON!”

“General Dunpolt, this is Mayor Morton J. Loxy calling you from Pueblito.”

He looked around to make sure nobody was listening and stayed put. Reception was good on that spot.

“General, we took Dr. Janet Fraiser into custody this morning.”

“Why? I didn’t authorize any such action. How dare you not request my permission?”

“But, Mr. Shaw said that you had approved….”

“Listen up, you imbecile. You follow my orders. MINE! I never told you to arrest that woman.”

“Do you want me to let her go?” asked Loxy, disbelief tightening his throat.

“It’s too late now, you moron. Hold on to her for the time being. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“General, we request that you transfer Dr. Fraiser to a safer location immediately. We cannot hold her for much longer.”

“Loxy, you have my orders.”

“It’s a security issue. This isn’t a good idea, General.”

“I don’t give a damn about what you think! She stays where she is. I gave you more than enough guards as it is. Use them!!”

“But, sir, this is the first place where they’ll look for her!”

“Fine. We don’t really need her. Get rid of her. You have a zat gun, right? THEN USE IT!”

The line went dead.

Loxy felt boiling panic rising and burning up his esophagus. Everything was falling apart. He speed dialed Teufel.

“Chief, Dunpolt won’t help. Add reinforcements.”

“Yes, sir.”

Loxy, suddenly looking ashen, felt his body shaking. He put his hand against the wall for support.

“Make plans to remove the prisoner, in case we need them.”

“Remove her where?”

“Permanently.”

“Sir, are you sure?”

“No, but draw up a plan anyway.”

Loxy ended the call, his mind reeling, futilely searching for a solution that provided him with a safe scenario that did not leave him holding the bag. As he crossed the street he decided that he would call Nevin Shaw and pass the buck over to him. If things played well, Dunpolt would not need to know.

Suddenly, his stomach gave a sickening lurch, forcing him to lean over the white picket fence of the mayor’s residence--his house--and retch.

Behind him in, on the second floor of the hall, a figure standing by a window overlooking the aisle had witnessed enough of the phone conversations to become alarmed. Thanet of Cantus averted her eyes and quietly closed the window to avoid listening to the man gagging below. Thanet, a Nassyan refugee, had lived in Pueblito longer than most. There was little that escaped her keen mind. She worked for the mayor because she loved her neighbors, but considered Loxy a contemptible weasel whose blind ambition led him into situations he was unable to handle. As far a she was concerned, he deserved a well-placed gastric ulcer that reminded him of his humanity.

After briefly glancing at her reflection in her office’s glass door, Thanet combed her ash blond hair with her fingers, grabbed her bag and stepped into the hallway without rushing. She had the innocent look of a kind, dignified lady but under this pleasant facade there was a shrewd, courageous woman. Jon O’Neill had not hesitated in drafting her assistance to keep an eye on potential threats from the Municipal Hall to their simmering neighborhood revolution. As he often joke—not that many understood the reference--she was indeed “In Like Flint.”

With a casual demeanor, Thanet exited the building by the east door and walked the two short blocks to the Pueblito Library. Without delay, she made her way to the director’s office.

“Thanet! Please come in.”

Thanet’s usual smile was gone. She closed the door, sat down and took a deep breath.

“Jaliska, Loxy has Janet Fraiser. She’s been kidnapped. I heard the mayor on the phone. I think the call made him sick with fear, the little weasel. He threw up on his own garden! She must be right under his nose, maybe in the basement of the hall. He wants her gone or worse, eliminated, soon. You must let the others know.”

“Oh, my gods! Where is Dr. Jackson?”

“I don’t know. Somebody needs to contact him. I fear to think what could happen to that lady.”

“This is awful.”

“Please, call Jon O’Neill now. I must go downstairs and get some records to bring back to the office. Nobody must suspect. And Jaliska?”

“Yes, Thanet?”

“Hurry!”

After a flurry of phone calls, knocks on doors and brisk walks, Jaliska of Aneber and Charlie Kawalsky converged on Jon’s Art Studio.

Ignoring the art works on display in the front gallery, mostly pieces done by the local folks, everyone went directly to the large sunny studio in the back. They sat on high stools and looked at the half-glazed bowl on the table in front of them.

Dressed in a t-shirt, and a pair of old blue jeans covered with an impressive collection of color stains and clay smudges, young O’Neill quietly took control of the meeting.

“I just talked to Jack. He’s in town. Daniel went missing off-world last night. The timing is highly suspect. Smells like a set up.”

“Last time I saw Janet was two days ago. Daniel wanted some information,” said Jaliska.

“What kind?”

“We looked into NID connections with various pharmaceutical companies. He thinks they are interested in Janet because of her previous association with Nirrti. I found out that General Dunpolt and Dr. Hedwig have connections to Dunpolt International, Marks and Bizer. There may be more corporations involved. We really need to find Janet before it’s too late.”

“Okay folks, this is the plan,” said Jon, “Charlie, I need you to activate our local network. Call Captain Elliot, Luis Rodriguez, Carlo Spinola and Anaha Kops. They’ll know what to do. We need surveillance on the front and back gates. Ask Tony and Marshall at the Car Shop if they can keep an eye on the north side. Ms. Spinola works at the salon, next to the south entrance. Charlie, let Carlo know when you talk to him. I’m calling an emergency meeting in the storage room of the supermarket at 19:00. There are too many eyes on the street so we’d better meet at night. Tell everyone to go shopping and then slip in the back. As soon as it gets dark, I wanna take a quick look at the Municipal Hall. I assume Janet is in the basement. Jaliska, can you get me the building plans?

“Give me 15 minutes.”

“Better keep all plans in town ready for quick access just in case. Okay, campers, let’s get going.”

 

===

 

Janet took a single bite of cold pasta from a partitioned plastic tray placed in front of her on the metal table. She was apprehensive of her lunch, which she suspected might be laced with drugs. Waking up from a chemically induced blackout tended to make one rather suspicious of foreign substances—not to mention feeling too hangover and nauseous to find cold, pre-packaged food appetizing. Carefully and methodically, she tasted the food and drink, waiting 20 minutes between bites for any adverse reactions. If she had one, at least she would have consumed a limited amount of the harmful substance.

Eating that way was tedious, but Janet had little else to do besides pacing impatiently in the small space of the institutional looking cell. After several hours with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company she was growing progressively frustrated. The room offered little relief from boredom. It had a table, a chair, a shelf covered by a thin mattress and the all-in-one toilet/drinking fountain common to all brigs.

She missed Daniel by her side. He had tried so hard to make her feel loved and protected even under the constrictive NID surveillance that made of Pueblito nothing but a gilded cage.

But now, the life they were building seemed shinning and full of warmth like a happy day at the beach. The reassuring feeling of domestic comfort seemed to be irrevocably receding away from her grasp. Nothing like prison time to make one yearn for all the small things that are taken for granted as simple creature comforts.

Such ordinary things had made Janet feel safe, helping her cope with the most stressful moments of her return to Earth. Their leaky coffeemaker that no matter what she did it always spilled coffee onto the hot plate. The potted basil plant on the kitchen sill. Who would water it now?

She missed her laptop and being able to write on her journal and surf the internet. If only she could type “how to escape a prison cell” in a search engine and find the right answer! She had certainly enjoyed learning about this new reality. Funny how some things in human history got screwed up in the exactly same ways as in her own universe. But the difference was that this Earth had continued to be. This Tau’ri ‘First World’ had been blessed with a fighting chance.

Well, there was no laptop here. She would have to find some other form of entertainment.

With nothing else to do and to keep from growing stiff, Janet jogged in place. After she grew tired, she alternated jogging with walking around the cell, finishing her short routine with a few abdominal and Pilate exercises.

The physical activity helped curve her anxiety and clarify her thoughts. She was not sure why she had been detained and kept incommunicado, but she should try to formulate an educated guess. So, some hard thinking was in order.

She sat at the table and considered the events of that day. Her routine trip to the clinic in the morning had proved to be a dangerous move. Her captors knew her schedule. They had waited until Daniel was off-world to pounce on her. They had maneuvered her into a quiet street, blown her tire and her window and given her some kind of shot. She had never seen them coming until it was too late.

Where was she? Janet wasn’t sure. She noticed the artificial lights, the smell of processed air, the drab color on the walls, the standardized cell furniture, and the electronic lock on the door. It looked a lot like a government, or at least, institutional facility. There was no visible surveillance and no graffiti on the walls at all—perhaps it was not an often used cell. She was probably in a basement. Nobody ever answered her calls, not even when she noisily banged her shoe against the door.

She never had a chance to see her captors. The food and water bottle had been on the table when she awoke. Looking at her clock, she calculated she had been asleep for an hour, so they probably did not take her far away from home. Unless they had used transportation rings or had been beamed aboard some kind of ship. If she was still in Pueblito, where could she be? The Municipal Hall or the Security Office were good candidates. She could be just a few blocks from home and virtually lost to the world.

She had been there for hours and nobody had come to claim her. Didn’t they want her for some kind of NID pharmaceutical project? She had half expected to be taken to a lab somewhere and made to work. They must not be in any hurry.

Nobody was really keeping track of her movements except Daniel. No one could get into her house to check up on her, but sooner or later somebody would notice her absence or her abandoned car and do something. Would Daniel find her? He must still be off-world. There was no way in hell he would have left her stuck in a jail for hours without a word. But, shouldn’t he be back by now? She could feel it in the pit of her stomach that something had gone seriously wrong. Or made to go wrong? The timing was highly suspect. A rescue was possible but it might take a long time.

“Think something positive,” she told herself. Something nice and hopeful. She knew how to do that. She had survived for a decade by drawing strength from memories of her loved ones.

For a minute or two she entertained the pleasant fantasy of hearing a knock on the door to her house and finding Cassie standing there. How would she look? Janet delighted in imagining the details of this young woman who had once been so much like her late daughter. She would be beautiful, her features more mature and maybe with shorter hair.

Janet could see Cassie’s smiling green eyes and her arms open waiting for a hug. One day, Cassandra would come to her and be her friend. She would be so happy with such a blessing. Oh, she missed her little girl….

The feeling of loss washed over her, but she pushed it aside with determination.

Janet chose instead to contemplate one of her most cherished moments: a pleasant walk out in the grasslands outside Pueblito during a crisp autumn day. Daniel had this charming, roguish look: unshaven, his hair wild and ruffled by the breeze, his dark glasses pulled back on his head. The cloudless sky and the gently rolling landscape had turned his squinting eyes into pale blue crystals. When he looked at her, his loving gaze was incandescent, his spirit clearly shining through. She had smiled at him, her soul reaching out to his as time slowed down to an eternal crawl. Her heart glowed inside her as their intimate connection filled her with quiet strength.

She could still feel the weightless feeling of that moment.

Right then and there, Janet decided that she wanted her life back. She only needed to be patient and keep her head on the game and wait for an opportunity to escape. What were her options? There was only one way out and she had no weapons. She could try to talk her way out, but nobody was going to listen to her. Could she do something to attract attention and set up some kind of trap?

Janet looked up as if waiting for divine intervention, but the only enlightenment she got was from the lights above. Her eyes suddenly opened as an idea came to mind. She considered the situation for a moment. Without hesitation, she smeared part of her food on the small window on the door until it was opaque. Nobody could see inside without opening the door.

Next, she put the chair on the table and climbed up to the very top.

With some effort she pushed the ceiling panel to the side and saw where the wires were spliced together and covered with a solder-less twist-on cap. She grabbed one of the plastic cables and carefully began to pull. The wire came easily and when the loop reached the surface of the table she stopped.

What if she disconnected the wire and the room went dark?

With great effort, she pushed aside another ceiling panel and examined the light fixture. There seemed to be only yellow wires connecting to that. Perhaps the blue cable went elsewhere. If things went dark, she would have to be extra careful.

She continued to pull. Suddenly, a bunch of coiled blue cable fell on Janet’s head. Alarmed, she moved to avoid it, but the movement almost made her lose her balance. With her heart trying to thump itself out of her chest, she steadied herself by grabbing the back of the chair. Then she noticed something lying on the table: all the cable she needed.

Slowly, Janet climbed down and extended the blue cable loop until the splice was close enough to the door. Without hesitation, she untwisted the wire nut and with considerable effort pulled the metal fibers apart without touching the live ends. They came loose with a fiery spark, but Janet hang on in spite of her terror at the sudden burst of energy.

Stretching her arms, she placed the coppery fibers on the electronic lock on the door, which exploded in a puff of smoke and shooting sparkles.

Almost immediately, Janet jumped back. With great care, she pushed the wires to the back corner of the room and safely put the live ends over the coiled plastic. Returning to the door through the acrid smoke she pushed it back. The door opened quietly.

Janet could hardly believe it. She had done it!

Suddenly a sense of disorientation took over. Where to run? Janet wanted so badly to go home, yet she could not simply run over there. She had not made a careful escape plan, so certain she had been that her efforts would fail. She took a deep breath and remembered everything she had learned about being stealthy.

Silently, Janet pushed the door back a bit and peaked at the area outside the door. It was empty. She exited, hugging the wall and seeking cover in the darker areas, until she reached a corridor. There was only one door nearby. She opened it, but as she was going to step through the portal, a hand fell on her shoulder.

Janet turn around swinging. As her fist connected with the man’s neck, she felt a needle on her arm. A burning sensation below her shoulder preceded her slow fall to the ground.

 _“Put the bitch back,”_ sounded Chief Teufel’s voice in the radio.

“Wilco. But, sir, the cell’s lock is damaged. It’ll need to be replaced,” answered the man.

_“Copy that. Will contact you soon with instructions. Keep two men guarding the cell door until further notice. Over and out.”_

 

===

 

The muffled voices retreated into the distance. After a few long seconds, the clang of metal hitting metal echoed through the gloomy tower. The Nimer dungeon fell into a deathly silence. Everyone strained to hear any more sounds.

“Ok folks, we seem to be alone,” declared Boyd after a few minutes with the quietest voice.

“Yes sir.”

“King, wake up Jackson. See how he’s doing.”

King felt her way in the dark towards Daniel. Her hand found a sock covered foot. Moving closer she touched his chest lightly. He was breathing. With her fingers on his neck, she ascertained that his pulse was steady. She spoke quietly on his ear.

“Wakey wakey, Daniel. It’s time to go. You need to wake up now!”

“Uh… wut?”

“Shhhh… keep your voice down. We’re in a deep pit somewhere in Semira courtesy of our friendly Nims. Are you with us, Daniel?”

“Not sure….”

“How are you feeling?”

“Peachy.”

“Come on Daniel, how’re you doing?”

“Sore, a bit stiff. I can still move arms. Probably nothing torn. I think the wall helped.”

“The wall?”

“At the gym.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve seen you climbing. Did you know we all call you Spacemonkey?”

Daniel death glare was substantially neutralized by the dark.

“At any rate, we’ll try to avoid over straining your arms and legs, but it may happen if we need you to climb out, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Don’t fall asleep. Perhaps you should stretch a bit, but be quiet. We need to hear if anyone is out there.”

“King?”

“Yes colonel; he’s awake.”

“Okay everybody, let’s talk for a minute.”

Everyone gathered near Daniel.

“We’re moving out of this pit but we need an escape plan. Daniel, are you familiar with this type of architecture?”

“I am not sure, but on general principle, since this is Mesopotamian-based architecture, we should avoid interior courtyards or we might get lost in a maze. If we find a window that looks to the outside we could orient ourselves better. Ideally, we would blow a hole through an exterior wall in order to evacuate into a moat or a road, like we did in Chulak.”

“So that’s it. Let’s go back up the ramp and take another look at the cells above. Many of them had windows. Daniel get ready to move. You boys, get in position.” Boyd turned on his flashlight.

With the help of Boyd and King Daniel got up and slowly began to move his arms and legs, carefully stretching them into a functional state.

“King, we’re ready,” came Watt’s voice.

The sergeant moved quietly through the uneven surface and reached Watts, with Colville standing with both feet on his shoulders. Both were braced against the wall.

“King, I’m gonna raise you as much as I can.”

“Sir, I want to apologize to all for any inappropriate, err . . . handling that it may occur.”

“King, we ain’t squeamish, besides it’d make a super fun story later. Now, climb!”

Without further ado, King put one foot on Boyd’s bent leg and let the momentum carry her up, until she was standing on Boyd’s shoulders. She reached in front of her and touched Colville’s back.

“Colonel, please stand closer to the major,” the voice came from above. “Okay boys, brace against the wall. I’m coming up. Major Colville, please flex your knees.”

With years of practice as a high-school competitive cheerleader, Sergeant King climbed on Colville’s back and stood on his shoulders. Her hands reached the end of the chain hanging from the edge of the pit. She pulled until it was taught.

“I’m going up now.”

Carefully, she moved her feet from the shoulders onto the wall and began to climb the vertical surface. When the rim was within reach, she grabbed on to the edge and pulled herself up over to the top. She remained still, scanning for sounds in the immense space above her, now barely illuminated by two torches flanking the exit. All she heard were the few embers left burning in the fire pit. Once she caught her breath she turned towards her teammates below.

“Made it. No hostiles in sight. Gonna see if the chain can be lowered further.”

Without waiting for a response, the sergeant quickly followed the heavy metal links to a hole in the wall. Feeling around the seaweed covered ground with her fingers she found a wheel. She turned it and the chain began to drag away from the pit. She reversed direction and pushed very slowly, trying to minimize the noise as the chain grew in length.

Suddenly, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder and a hand over her mouth. Her eyes opened in terror.

“Shhhhh. It’s me, Watts. We have enough chain.” He let King go with a pat on her back. “Well done, Sergeant. Any rope around? Jackson needs some help.”

They found a large fishing net in a corner and tied the ends to the top of the chain. Watts went back to the pit.

“Colonel, I’m gonna toss a net down. Stay clear.”

Colville appeared first and next to him was Daniel, looking rather pale. Watts helped him up and Boyd came up last closing up the rear. The group crossed swiftly the ominous dungeon towards the ramp that had brought them here.

The distant sound of a slamming door and marching feet resonated around them. The fugitives went into the closest empty cell to regroup and catch their breath. They were invisible in the pitch-black space.

“Daniel?”

“I’m okay. Honest. Just wish I had some shoes. And some coffee. Coffee would be great too.”

“I’m so gonna give them a one-star rating in Galactic Expedia,” said King.

Everyone chuckled soundlessly.

After the sounds of the distant soldiers subsided, they moved like quiet ghosts over the stone ramp. There was a gleam of light shining on the curving tunnel ahead.

 

===

 

The arid, rocky landscape of Semira was now barely visible. The cloud cover and the grey patches of the incipient urban sprawl of Nimer, the Nims’ capital city, extended beyond the horizon. From above, the surface was peppered with smoke stacks that turned the air into a noxious haze that extended into the ocean to the east.

“Let’s begin a new tracking pattern aligned with the coast. Vala, anything on the radar?”

“Not yet.”

For almost an hour, the Odyssey had been in orbit using its short range scanners to examine the surface below. Once the situation on Semira had been brought into focus, the SGC had lost no time in ordering the ship to the planet.

With too many questions going unanswered, General Landry had gated to Chulak earlier that day and joined Vala Mal Doran, Cameron Mitchell and Teal’c while they briefed the two representatives of the Chulakian Council. They had acceded to a meeting during their mid-day break out of concern for a potentially unauthorized weapons deal involving their two planets. Landry listened intently until something brought his bushy eyebrows together.

“Vala, could you expand your description of the individual who met the well-known weapons dealer? Why did you call him ‘Long Coat’?”

“General, I never caught his name. The man wore a garment unfamiliar to me. It was a black coat, narrow on the shoulders, double breasted, with two long lines of buttons on the front. It was very long and tight to the body. Not the most flattering of garments, I must say.”

After considering the answer for a moment, Landry turned on the computer tablet in front of him and upon finding what he sought, he showed a M.A.L.P. captured video to the woman across the conference table.

“Vala, did he look like him?”

“Yes, he rather did,” she said, her eyes growing cold.

“Why am I not surprised?” said Landry passing the tablet around.

“Do you know of this man? Neither he nor his attire look familiar,” said the Chulakian council woman.

Landry nodded and took a big breath before continuing.

“I’m afraid I’m the bearer of bad news. Dr. Daniel Jackson and our team SG-10 have gone missing in a planet called Semira where you’ll find many people wearing this type of long coat.”

“Why was Daniel Jackson there, General Landry?”

“Master Teal’c, he was negotiating a difficult trade agreement with two nations involved in a low-level war. We refused to include weapons in the deal.”

Teal’c’s raised eyebrow was eloquent; he understood the effort would be futile.

“It seems these Semirans may have found a way to change the conditions of trade,” said Vala.

Everyone took the silence that followed as a form of agreement. Landry stood up.

“Now that we have informed the Chulakian Council of the possible unsanctioned arms trade, we must return to Earth at once to prepare for the search and rescue mission to Semira.”

“Of course. We thank you for keeping us informed,” said the Chulakian council woman with a nod. “May you find your missing people soon and in good health.”

“I will accompany them to Semira,” said Teal’c fast enough to suggest that he had his fill of Council meetings.

SG-1 and General Landry walked together to the Gate.

“Colonel Mitchell,” said Landry, “when I left SG-3 and SG-12, they were getting ready for transport to the Odyssey. Take her to Semira and begin your search for Dr. Jackson, SG-9 and SG-10 immediately upon your arrival. Do not contact the authorities and keep the Odyssey out of sight as much as possible. And Mitchell? I definitely want to have a word with Dr. Limberg, so feel free to detain him when you find him.”

Barely two hours later, in the quiet hum of the bridge, Cam, Vala and Teal’c coordinated their efforts in locating their friends and teammate lost on the surface below.

They had alerted the members of SG-9 of their arrival at Nimer. The plan had been for the teams to survey the most obvious places where prisoners might have been secured away, while the drone followed a methodical grid-like sweep.

The three SGC teams had spread out and quietly searched the area of the Lodge where the negotiations had taken place and around the port, where the local authorities had reported seeing Daniel and SG-10 before they went missing. They found no significant leads. They had hoped that the locator beam Vala had attached to Long Coat would prove useful, but so far the man had been elusive.

Teal’c looked at a computer screen with a broader image of Nimer they had acquired on the drone’s first flyover.

“Colonel Mitchell, I see a structure of interest.”

Both Vala and Cam moved closer to Teal’c as he pointed at a round building on the screen.

“This fortress down the coast looks like a Goa’uld prison. I suggest we take a look at this site right away.”

“No problem,” said Cam, nodding the go-ahead to the airman at the helm. “Use the Odyssey’s short range scanners.”

A live image of the old fortress appeared in the viewer screen.

“Well, hello…” said Vala. “I think I found my old friend Mr. Long Coat. Can we transport him to the ship?”

“Let’s wait. Keep an eye on him.”

“Colonel Mitchell, there is a disturbance on the side of the fortress. An explosion. People are running out of the building. There, next to the market.”

“Teal’c, Vala, go see what’s up. I’ll beam you over. I’m putting the other teams on alert. If necessary I’ll do an emergency transport. Report ASAP.”

With their weapons at the ready, the pair stood together and soon disappeared in a ray of light.

 

===

 

The stone wall had crumbled with more violence than they expected. Coughing in the cloud of dust and still shaking off the debris that covered them, SG-10 and Daniel had climbed over the collapsed stones and run into the blinding late morning sun. They quickly crossed the moat-like expansion until they found a damaged section of the outer wall. The gap, a pile of mossy covered stones, brought them into the hectic expanse of the market.

The explosion had not gone unnoticed. Activity in the open esplanade had ceased nearest to the fortress as many Nims moved closer to the moat to look at the fallen wall. Many noticed the oddly dressed strangers moving among them and were frantically signaling up at the soldiers looking down from on the upper walls of the tower.

Daniel and SG-10 looked around trying to find a place to hide, but no matter where they turned, both men and women reacted towards them with a degree fear and repulsion. Isolation had not made the Nim hospitable towards off-worlders. And frankly, they did not look their best, covered in grime and badly needing a shower.

A tall man in simple light-colored clothes came towards them. He spoke in Sumerian.

“Tau’ri, the soldiers will be here soon. I can help you.”

“Daniel, what’s he saying?”

The archeologist, still wearing the dark blanket like a long poncho, turned and faced the man.

“He’s Kuruk. Wants to assist.”

“Do you trust him?”

“He’s sticking his neck out.”

“Okay, everyone, let’s see where he takes us. Daniel, do your thing.”

Daniel nodded. His Sumerian, learned from clay tablets baked millennia ago, came suddenly alive.

“Can you find a place of safety for us?”

“I can try. Come with me. Be fast.”

The Kuruk turned around and began walking at full speed, fluidly finding his way in between the market stands and the tall piles of merchandise. The group followed, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings but knowing that their actions could be observed from the towering fortress.

Suddenly, they entered a section of the market under a large, billowing canvas canopy and the man changed directions abruptly. They followed, avoiding the boxes of produce heaped everywhere and the workers busily unloading a long line of horse carts. The smell of food cooking nearby was making their mouths water but they continued on their way with singular determination.

The Kuruk stopped and pointed towards a narrow corridor. They had reached the edge of the market area.

“I have a wagon with horses at the end of this road. That is all I can offer.”

Daniel translated and Boyd nodded to continue. Perhaps this man could take them in his cart all the way to the Gate.

The passage was a narrow alley between warehouses. With Daniel and Boyd on point and Watts and Colville covering their six, the group moved forward.

Daniel began to limp—his lack of shoes was rough on his feet—but refused to slow down, the adrenaline keeping the pain in check.

Without warning, one of the large warehouse doors burst open and a dozen Nim soldiers spilled out, quickly moving in a circular formation around Daniel and the others who instinctively pushed themselves against the wall.

“DUCK!! EVERYONE, HIT THE FLOOR!!”

“IT’S VALA!” shouted Daniel, immediately recognizing her voice and pulling the Kuruk man to the ground with him, “EVERYONE DOWN!”

It all happened very quickly. Vala, Teal’c and SG-9 running from one end of the narrow passage and SG-3 and SG-12, converging on the spot from the other end of the road made the alley a potential crossfire disaster.

The Nim soldiers turned around to throw their spears at both groups, but Teal’c quickly responded with his staff weapon. Startled by the view of two of their spears turning into molten metal and one of their comrades unconscious on the ground, the Nim froze. They were out powered and outnumbered. After a tense pause, they put down their arms.

The members of SG-3 swiftly divested them of their weapons and piled them out of range, signaling to the Nims to lie down.

“Mitchell, you up there?”

_“Roger; come in, Reynolds.”_

“We found them. Request immediate transport to the infirmary, over.”

_“How many are you?”_

“We’re 20. Everyone is here, except Limberg, but we seem to have a guest.”

_“Roger that. SG-10 and Daniel and guest are going to the infirmary first. Will do the rest in two short shifts.”_

“Very short I hope. The area isn’t secured.”

_“Copy that.”_

 

===

 

Night was falling early in Pueblito as the sky had acquired the color of soft graphite. Loxy sat at his desk, clearing out a tall pile of files and paper work in advance of the weekend. He held the cell phone in his ear, while his other hand tapped the wood surface with nervous energy.

“General, I can’t hold this woman anymore. She has already tried to escape and needs to be transferred to a more secure location.”

_“I already told you, get rid of her ASAP. Jackson may already be on his way back,” the sharp voice said._

“General, you told me to keep Mr. Shaw happy and I did so the best I could. Now you say I didn’t follow your orders, leaving me holding the bag. Mr. Shaw says they can’t come to collect Fraiser on account of the weather. There’s a major blizzard on the way, as you well know. Yet, if nobody shows up to pick her up by tomorrow morning, I’m letting her go. And guess who’s gonna get blamed? Not the hall, but the NID.”

_“Don’t you fucking understand, Loxy? The others are coming for her. Get. Rid. Of. Her. NOW!”_

“General, I’m not here to do your dirty work. I’ll transfer the prisoner to your men.”

_“You spineless piece of dirt, if you don’t get rid of that woman, you’re next!”_

Aggravated, Loxy turned off his cell and put it down. He knew that Chief Teufel would do as Dunpolt wanted. When Jackson came back heads were going to roll one way or another. It might be better to let them find the evidence elsewhere. Let Teufel and the NID handle her.

He picked up his phone and dialed again.

“Chief Teufel, I want you to come get the prisoner. Bernstein says that all the wiring for the lock is useless. We can’t keep her in a cell without security, I don’t care how drugged she is.”

_“Sir, those aren’t my orders, General Dunpolt said the evidence needs to disappear. Why bring her to my office?”_

“Dunpolt is washing his hands of this whole affair, so you’d better decide if you want to follow the letter of his law. Shaw will assume responsibility for her tomorrow, after the storm is over. These are my direct orders. Teufel, come get Fraiser and do it NOW!”

In frustration, Loxy banged his fist on the desk. After a moment he opened one of the desk drawers. He pulled too hard and the full drawer came out. He tried to put it back in but rage overtook him and he threw the drawer across the room, spilling a dozen boxes of anti-acid pills.

Across the street, Chief Teufel considered things for a moment and then turned towards his second in command.

“Paredes, Loxy is in a panic and wants the prisoner out of his hair. Let’s go get the bitch. Bernstein, have a transport ready.”

The two men crossed the street and swiftly went down into to the Municipal Hall’s basement.

“Get the gurney,” Teufel ordered to one of the men guarding the door.

The guard pulled the vertical gurney out of a nearby closet and unfolded the contraption. Paredes placed the unconscious Janet on its flat surface and they followed their boss into the tunnel. As doors clanged behind them, the tunnel’s automatic lights came on which did little to dispel the oppressive feeling of the massive concrete walls. At the end of the passage an elevator took them into a service area.

Teufel signaled a small room.

“Stay here out of sight and keep her on the gurney. It may take a few minutes.”

Walking towards a window, Teufel took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed.

_“Bernstein here.”_

“We’re ready.”

_“The van is on its way, sir.”_

 

===

 

With his hair sticking up from the quick shower he had taken on board the Odyssey, Daniel reclined on an infirmary bed while a nurse cleaned and bandaged the abrasions on his ankles and wrists. An IV line had been placed in his arm to replenish his fluids.

The other members of SG-10 were sleeping on their beds after a shower and a thorough medical examination. They were exhausted.

Cam, Vala and Teal’c entered the infirmary together and saw that Daniel was still awake. The nurse finished up quickly and left the group to their meeting.

“Hey Sunshine! How’re ya doing?”

“I’m fine. Honest.”

“Happy pills?”

“You bet. By the way, thanks for the assist. You guys keep getting my ass out of lots of trouble lately.”

“Sometimes you need it, darling.”

Daniel looked at his friends and nodded, his eyes bright with tears. The exhaustion and the pills conspired to bring his emotions closer to the surface.

“Did you find Mark Limberg?” he asked after clearing his throat.

“Yes, Daniel Jackson. The Semirans were most obstructive when we tried to locate this individual,” said Teal’c, his full lips turning down as he refused to call Limberg by his name. “SG-9 found him still negotiating with the Nim on your behalf.”

“The bastard.”

“I gave Limberg and the Nim weapons dealer nice rooms in the brig,” said Cam.

Daniel eyebrows went all the way up.

“What weapons dealer?”

“Darling, we’ll explain everything in detail after you had a chance to rest, but suffice to say that while investigating a Lucian arms trade, I ran into a Nim scout with too many questions about trading Tau’ri and Jaffa weaponry.”

“They kept asking me about that.”

“Look, Daniel, we were able to recover all the weapons your mission brought in, but these folks ain’t stupid, they probably had enough time to figure out how they work,” said Cam.

“But not smart enough to realize that now that their Gate is open all they wanted could be obtained out there. They don’t really need to take over Kuruk,” said Daniel with a tired voice.

“On that note, are you well enough to chat with Mr. Galshu? He wants to talk to you before we leave.

“Vala, who… oh, the man who helped us escape. Yes, please, send him in.”

While Cam and Teal’c waited outside, Vala escorted the Semiran to Daniel’s side bed using what Sumerian she could remember.

“My heart gladdens with the news of your safe escape,” said Galshu with a smile.

“My heart gladdens with the generosity of your assistance,” responded Daniel. “I thank you. My friends thank you. You saved us.”

“I tried. I was sent to find you. The Kuruk are willing to trade but there are challenges. We do not trust the Nim and it seems that some of your own people betrayed you. Bad men exist everywhere, but you are honorable. Are your leaders honorable?”

It was a direct question without a simple answer.

“They try, but we are many and we do not always agree.”

“Perhaps you are too young a people to know what is essential.”

“We have been called that before. Do you know the Nox?”

“My heart gladdens when I speak of our friends the Nox.”

“My heart gladdens when I think that the Nox might keep you safe.”

“Daniel, they have been our teachers for a long time. We are willing to trade, but this must start slowly to build trust and respect.”

“I will pass the message along to my people. Honorable Galshu, my heart gladdens when I express our thanks for your assistance and for the promise of a future dialogue.”

Galshu bowed deeply and took his leave, as Vala escorted him to the bridge for transport.

Cam and Teal’c came back in and stood next to Daniel.

“Do you think that trading with Semira has a chance?”

Daniel looked at Cam and his eyes frowned.

“Vested interests are pushing hard for this to happen. They do not understand the limitations. Maybe after all we learned today they’ll reconsider.”

“So, Sunshine, we’re done below. Are you ready to go home?”

Daniel’s bright smile as he thought about getting home to Janet was answer enough.

 

===


	9. Liberation

 

“Chief Teufel, what’s up with Fraiser? Are you done with the transport?”

 _“Mayor Loxy, we’re getting ready for it,”_ came the wary voice of the NID Chief of Security through his cell phone.

“Are you still downstairs?”

_“We used the tunnel.”_

“You must be fucking kidding me! I didn’t authorize that!”

_“I’m sorry sir; it’s temporary.”_

“Teufel, my confidence in you is fading fast; you’d better keep me updated on the transport.”

Outside the slightly open door of the Mayor’s office a dark figure moved away. If anyone walked through the dark, empty corridors of the Municipal Hall right after 7:00 pm she or he would have noted the mere suggestion of a shadow off in a corner, a subtle displacement of air as the door to the stairs closed.

Almost invisible, Jon O’Neill stopped for a moment in the poorly lighted stairwell feeling both relieved and alarmed. Janet was still alive but her location was uncertain. He took his cell phone out and dialed Kawalsky.

“Charlie, I think she is in the basement and about to be transferred. I’m on my way down right now. Call the others. We need more eyes if she goes mobile.”

_“Roger that. Meet you below in two minutes. Over and out.”_

O’Neill reached the lower level in absolute silence, fluidly blending into the darkness when three guards passed by. Carefully avoiding the security cameras he followed the men at a distance until they reached the small alcove that led to the prison cell. The group left after a few minutes.

O’Neill frowned and hesitated for a moment. Things did not look right. He quickly turned the corner and finding the place unguarded, he proceeded to the cell’s metal door. A black smudge left by a fire was clearly visible. The lock was non-functional and the room was empty. The man’s jaw tightened as he turned to leave but sensing a presence behind him, he hid inside the cell. Raising his zat gun he moved out and saw Kawalsky signaling to him from the other side of the corridor. He looked back at his friend and shook his head.

Without delay, the two ghostly figures ran upstairs and exited through the west door just in time to see a white van leaving the mayor’s house, its reds back lights flashing in the dark as the van joined the traffic. Standing in the shadows at a blind spot from the surveillance cameras that watched over the town they considered the situation.

“It looks like Fraiser tried to escape and the guards used the tunnel to transport her elsewhere. She royally messed-up their cell door,” said O’Neill, a note of appreciation still audible in his hushed voice.

“Good for her; on the other hand, our timing sucks.”

“Fraiser deserved better. Let Elliot know.”

While Kawalsky made his call, O’Neill, in a gesture reminiscent of his older self, pressed his lips into a thin line and curled his hands into tight fists. His intense dark eyes followed the van lights until the vehicle turned south and disappeared from view.

“Look, we have a lot of eyes paying attention,” said Kawalsky.

“Yeah, but these bastards have too much real estate in this town. Listen, you go on. I need to go back in and do something.”

“I’ll wait for you at the supermarket. I wouldn’t be surprised if they take the doc to Teufel’s office. They got a loading dock and cells in the back.”

Clinging to the shadows, O’Neill made his way to the transporter rings in the basement. He punched a series of numbers on the control box imbedded on the wall. When it opened he carefully removed one of the less visible crystals. He closed the box and double checked that the system was still armed and undisturbed. It would take them a long time to figure out why the rings didn’t work. It was an old trick he had learned from Teal’c. One never knew when such tidbits would become handy.

 

===

 

“Daniel Jackson, you must wake up!” insisted Teal’c as his hand gently tapped Daniel’s.

The sleeping man opened his eyes, confused.

“I could have sworn I fell asleep only ten minutes ago.”

“Indeed you did, Daniel Jackson.”

“Oh. Are we there yet?”

“No, we are here now. Your presence is urgently required at the SGC. Colonel Mitchell has been ordered to continue on to the Alpha site with the two prisoners. They are to await their fate there until we debrief the appropriate authorities.”

“What about you? Are you gating home?”

“No, Daniel, I will come with you. There have been some developments on Earth. Your presence is needed.”

Teal’c remained like a solid presence by his side. Daniel closed his eyes but he was fully awake. He could feel the vast darkness growing heavy in the pit of his stomach.

“Janet.”

Teal’c put his hand on Daniel’s arm and for a moment the touch of his large but gentle fingers transmitted a sense of strength and unshakable support.

“She was taken prisoner by the NID. A rescue operation is being prepared but the team needs access to your residence.”

“I need to be there,” said Daniel pulling the electrodes from his body.

A nurse came running into the infirmary--the monitors loudly beeping with sudden alarm--but after seeing the determination on the face of her patient, she sighed resignedly and helped him disconnect the IV.

“We both are going with you, darling.”

Vala stood next to the door, holding out a set of the black BDUs matching those they were already wearing, which Daniel grabbed on his way to the nearest bathroom.

“I promise. We will find her, Daniel Jackson,” said Teal’c as they got into formation to be transported.

“That doesn’t always work out that well, does it?”

Teal’c swallowed hard.

“O’Neill always says that one must pursue positive thinking.”

Daniel saw the determination in his friend’s eyes. He nodded before they dissolved into an intense ray of light.

Generals Hank Landry and Jack O’Neill--who took charge of the salutations--welcomed the SG-1 members to the Embarkation room. The other SG teams arrived in quick succession.

“Teal’c! How are you buddy?” said Jack extending his right arm forward.

“Tek'ma'tek, O’Neill!” responded the Jaffa grabbing on to the proffered forearm.

“Thank you for joining our little party on Semira. Sooo, Daniel, another fun mission, eh?”

“Jack.”

“Let’s have a chat, just us,” he made a circular motion to signal SG-1. “Full debriefing has been postponed until Monday on account of the bad weather. Landry and I will meet you in a minute at the briefing room. Go on.”

As the members of SG-1 moved through the hallways they noticed everything was particularly quiet. With the exception of the skeleton crew most of the personnel had left hours earlier in advance of the upcoming blizzard.

Jack turned towards SG-10 and patted Henry Boyd in the back.

“I owe you big, guys. You brought Daniel home in one piece.”

“Kinda. I wish we could have avoided capture all together. Sorry, sir, we weren’t fast enough.”

“Trust me, you did remarkably well considering that man is a trouble magnet. You kept him and your team alive. That’s all I could ask.”

“Thank you, General,” said Boyd already walking towards the infirmary. Another brief check-up and a long rest on the base quarters was ahead for them.

Jack caught up with Daniel as he arrived at the conference room, still pale and moving sluggishly.

“Need coffee.”

“What you need is a bed in the infirmary.”

“Don’t you fucking start. Not now.”

Jack nodded and putting a hand on Daniel’s arm for support he offered him a steaming cup of coffee. They all sat at the long table. Jack suddenly remembered the box in his pocket and passed it on to Daniel across the table.

“I found this in your office.”

It was Daniel’s spare set of glasses. He put them on and gave Jack a long, eloquent look, one that spoke volumes and made everyone suspicious that these two men shared an alien-given telepathic link. Finally, Daniel looked around the room. Everyone was ready.

“Before we begin,” said Landry, “I’ll ask you to avoid discussing with anyone else whatever we say at this meeting and the details of the mission to Semira. The SGC security has been compromised, which is the reason why we are not bringing our prisoners here and have put a tighter control on the flow of information. Please, Dr. Jackson, tell us what happened.”

“General Landry,” said Daniel, “we appreciate your assistance in Semira. Things got complicated. Negotiations began to fail from the very beginning. The Nim insisted on weapon technology. It’s obvious that they want to take over Kuruk and control its vast rain forests. The folks living there are elusive and unwilling to share their knowledge. Given the blunt expansionism of the Nim they don’t trust them nor believe that the Tau’ri will not aid the Nim in their plans. It turned out they were well justified in their fears.”

“Dr. Jackson, did the Nim say why they took you prisoner?”

“I don’t have full memories of my time in captivity, sir. They… I only remember questions about weaponry.”

“I don’t think gathering information was the main objective,” said Jack. “They had a scout chatting up an arms dealer.”

Daniel frowned. He wanted to clarify things yet he also wanted to leave and look for Janet.

“Was this Nim arms dealer the scout that Teal’c and Vala mentioned?”

“Yes,” Landry responded, “Tau’ri and Jaffa weapons would enable their territorial expansion.”

Daniel rubbed his temple, the lack of sleep slowly turning into a headache. “General, this confirms the suspicions I mentioned before we left for Semira. The NID is allied to a group of pharmaceutical companies willing to go to any extremes, even promising anything to anyone, in order to gain access to alien territories. Hard as they may try, the Nim and the NID have no chance of success.”

“Why not?”

“Because according to the Kuruk who helped us escape, his people are under the protection of the Nox. Given their non-intervention policy, the Nox must be seriously invested in these people. Once more we failed to put our best foot forward. Earning the trust of the Kuruks will take a long time.”

“Dr. Jackson, I seem to be repeating myself when I say that I wish we had taken your warnings more seriously. Indeed, we have learned that Dr. Limberg has some very questionable associates including somebody here at the SGC.”

Daniel nodded. He didn’t envy Landry’s task of finding the mole among his people. Yet, anger was rising up inside him. He was tired of paying the price for being right.

“Sir, if you don’t mind, I need to get home…. ”

“I understand; Dr. Fraiser is still missing. Her abduction seems to have been timed with the news of your disappearance.”

“You mean, this was all a set up? How could you… ?” Daniel paused and tried to swallow his bitterness. “How could this happen, sir?”

“Dr. Jackson, we have been trying to find her. In fact, your friends in Pueblito were about to liberate her when the NID suddenly changed her location. We need better coordination to do this right. We must flush out the people involved or we will never be free from them.”

“With all due respect, General, I can’t let anyone’s priorities delay me. All I want is to find Janet. I really must go,” said Daniel, no longer hiding his anger as he quickly walked towards the door. Jack followed him and grabbed his arm, a sudden move that jolted Daniel’s painful shoulder making him wince.

“Ugh, sorry, but Daniel, you need to wait for just a sec. We don’t have a ship in orbit at the moment and traffic out there is a mess.”

The archeologist looked at Jack, a world of grief visible in his eyes.

“Danny, you know me. I wouldn’t ask this of you if it weren’t important. Please trust me. I only want enough time to coordinate our operation and then we’ll go get Janet. I promise.”

“Daniel Jackson,” called Teal’c, getting up to give his words greater weight, “I will help you find Dr. Fraiser and keep her safe. You have my pledge. O’Neill is correct. We must not act blindly.”

 

===

 

“Okay folks, time to get this show on the road.” Jack gave Landry a nod.

Landry turned around towards Sergeant Harriman, who was already reaching for the phone.

“Walter, make that call and keep the room with the transportation rings under constant guard until further notice.”

Jack, Daniel, Teal’c, and Vala moved quickly through the almost empty SGC hallways, followed by a small group of airmen who supplied them with zat guns, night goggles, communication devices, and winter gear.

Jack turned around and stood tall.

“Everyone, listen up! Jon O’Neill is unlocking the rings on the other side. Remember, the Municipal Hall basement maybe crawling with NID guards. Avoid them or, if absolutely necessary, zat them but keep out of sight. Go straight to Daniel’s house. The street lights are off. Now, put on your goggles and get ready.”

The team stood together in the center of the platform. Suddenly, the rings fell around them and in a flash of light they found themselves in a dark basement. The sound of the retreating rings reverberated throughout the half-lit corridors.

Jon reached for the control box and once more pulled out the crystal. He then signaled everyone to follow him.

With practiced stealth the five figures went upstairs to the ground floor and broke into an empty office. The long lines of filing cabinets stood like a dark green tunnel in their night vision.

At the other end of the room, Jack raised his fist. Everyone stopped.

“Put on your white camos.”

While everyone added a layer of snow camouflage, Jon cracked the door open. Guards could be heard running in the corridor towards the stairs at the back of the building. Once the hallway was clear, he signaled everyone to leave the hall.

To the ghostly figures moving swiftly in white camos and night-vision goggles the world looked like a bright green park. Under the purplish gray clouds Pueblito had turned completely white and every surface was veiled by a layer of cold powdery snow.

They kept close to whatever cover they could find. Daniel arrived first. He took off his gloves and grabbed the cold handle of his front door to unlock it through the security shield. He let everyone in as he struggled to keep his breathing under control. His body was still weak and the effort had left him panting.

“Okay everyone, take ten. Lights off until we find Janet.”

“Jack, I want to…”

“Save it. I know. We need you here. You’re the only one who can do this.”

Daniel nodded and walked away. He didn’t want them to see how frustrated and afraid he was. In the kitchen, in the muted light of the snow drifts seen through the windows, he got the coffee started. The house seemed exactly as he left it, warm but rendered suddenly inhospitable by Janet’s absence.

“Daniel, Vala, do your thing. Call us when you are ready to link up,” said Jack standing in the dark hallway.

A minute later, Teal’c and the two O’Neills had left the house, disappearing into the falling snow. It was almost midnight and everyone would be waiting in position.

Daniel knew Vala was here to babysit him in case something went wrong but avoided that line of thought. He could really use her help.

Behind the closed shades, Daniel switched on the large computer monitor on his office desk. Vala came in and put the coffee cups on the table. The two friends pulled their chairs together. Once the system rebooted, Daniel cycled quickly through the screens. He ignored the stabs of pain every time he moved his wrists.

“What is this grid, can I…?”

“NO, don’t touch anything! It’s how Sam designed the shield interface. If I turn it off by mistake it will take me a long time to reboot everything. So, hands off, okay?”

“Sorry. I want to help. Really.”

Daniel nodded and smiled, his head hanging a bit low. He took a sip from his coffee cup. The warm, flavorful drink was heaven and part of him recognized that. Yet, most of his attention was focused elsewhere. Carefully, he studied the screen, his glasses reflecting the colorful digital display in front of him. He widened the grid--and the scope of the shield--to align with Pueblito’s checker-board map. Opening the communication menu, he unblocked all digital signals within the grid and activated a new security channel. He thought for a moment and then typed “FreeJF,” the operation’s assigned name, using the date as the access code.

He called Jack’s cell.

“Jack, it’s done. Like you said, 20112210. Call me back.”

After a moment, Daniel’s cell phone rang and a green dot appeared on the screen grid, already well populated by red dots.

“Okay Jack, begin linking.”

Daniel took a headset and placed it over his left ear. After he cycled through a couple of menus he was able to hear the communication of a dozen friendly operatives and respond to them. Next, he activated the reception of digital communications in the area inside the shield and multiple voices suddenly filled the expectant silence. He blocked all sound except for those in the area around the Municipal Hall and the NID Security Office. Jack’s voice could be heard relaying the communication instructions and the multiple responses from the increasing green dots.

“Vala, we’re using cell phones because it was more expedient. The shield device created a shared channel for everyone who dials in but cannot be detected by NID technology,” explained Daniel as he gave Vala a second head set and pointed towards the computer screen, “and this grid detects everyone who communicates with a digital device. We’re the green dots; everyone else reads as red.”

“Got it. Daniel, what’s all this stuff on the screen?”

“The sound shows up here at the bottom in the form of a visual equalizer with volume controls. The transcript panel rolling on the side seems rather scrambled, so not sure if it will be helpful, but it keeps a log of all communications. I need you to help me listen and identify where they have Janet. We know she is somewhere south of the hall. Can you do that for me?”

“This is pretty cool spying equipment. Where can I get one?”

“Look, this isn’t exactly legal. I shouldn’t be doing this at all, but I need your help. Please Vala.”

“Of course, Daniel. We are saving Janet from these goons. There is nothing wrong with that.”

Daniel wasn’t too sure. He gave her a weak smile, keeping his guilt and raising anxiety under check.

“Jack, this is Daniel here; we are ready for you.”

_“Roger. This is Sierra Golf Leader, Elliot, Kawalsky, do you copy? Over.”_

_“Roger, come in.”_

_“Begin beating up the bushes at the hall, over and out.”_

The building’s alarm system triggered a multitude of voices echoing through the security channels. Each transmission pinged a red dot on the grid briefly revealing its location.

“This is Daniel. The NID guards are spread out, but there are two or three hostiles in the hall and two more incoming through the south door. Also there are guards moving together on the southern peripheral road, slowly moving west; maybe they are in a vehicle, over.”

“ _Copy that,”_ came the choir of voices, except for one.

_“This is Thanet of Cantus. I have visual confirmation from my home on Groening Road. An SUV just turned north. There is a lot of snow and it is driving very slowly. There is also quite a large patch of ice waiting for them a bit ahead.”_

_“God bless you, Ms. Thanet,”_ said a voice that sounded a lot like that of the younger O’Neill.

Vala and Daniel focused on the western side of town, listening among the various dialogues for that one person, that one voice who would mention Janet.

“There!” the dark-haired woman said looking at the rough transcripts quickly rolling by.

Daniel isolated the voices and turned up the volume.

 _“ …quest additional cover. The prisoner remains secure. Still zero activity here, over._ ”

 _“Paredes, the late-night shift are on their way. Be alert, over,”_ said a dot in the mayor’s residence.

“ _Roger, Mr. Loxy, over and out,”_ blipped a red dot in a structure on the western side of the town.

“Daniel here, Jack; there is suspicious activity on Marge between Bailey and Blinky Lanes, right across the street from the mayor’s house. Several guards are moving west, over.”

 _“Copy that,”_ said Jack, before issuing further orders to the men on the ground.

Voices continued to echo in the darkened office, animating the screen with jumping equalizer streams. Vala isolated a conversation.

_“Chief Teufel, this is Williams. We have a confirmed unauthorized entry at the hall and require back-up.”_

_“Negative. The hall is now a low priority but apprehend any perps you find, over and out,”_ answered Teufel. Daniel turned William’s volume down.

The grid light up with more red blips indicating the use of the NID frequency.

“This is Daniel. Jack, we’ve got confirmation that Janet is not at the hall. At least six NID guards are converging towards the Security Office on Marge Avenue. Also, the vehicle on West Groening seems stuck. Expect incoming from the south, over"

 _“Copy that,”_ said Jack.

In the dark office, the screen duly graphed Jack’s orders to his people on the ground.

_“This is Jon, Sierra Golf Leader, do you copy?_

_“Jon, come in.”_

_“Possible location of the prisoner is the structure near the corner of Marge and West Groening. We see several incoming hostiles moving westward passing by the Security Office.”_

_“Copy that. Jon, you and Kawalsky move south to intercept. Daniel, is there any activity by the gates? We need the plans of the target structures ASAP, over.”_

“This is Daniel; Jack, please stand by.”

While Ernest Marshall from the Car Shop notified Jack that I-25 was closed, roads were impassable and there was no activity on either entrance, Daniel phoned Jaliska who was waiting at the library. She promised to email the building plans to Daniel within the minute.

Daniel suddenly felt a rush of emotion. Exhaustion, stress and anxiety made a bad combination when trying to keep a cool head. Yet, it was not a bad feeling. The whole town seemed to be coming together to assist in Janet’s rescue, and the feeling of relief and gratefulness was a bit overwhelming. He took a deep breath.

“ _This is Sierra Golf Leader, Kawalsky and Jon have your team take position for access to the north side of the target NID building on Marge, between Bailey and Blinky Lanes. Everyone else, move towards the south side on Bart Lane. We are standing by for building specs, over.”_

A flood of “Roger that” and “Wilco” came through.

Daniel frowned with tension as he saw more green and red dots converge on the south west quadrant of the grid. Suddenly, his cell phone vibrated. It was an email. He switched computers screens and looked at the building plans Jaliska had sent him. In a few seconds, the printer whirred itself to life and issued a few pages.

“Vala, please relay the building info, while I keep taps on this,” he said while shifting back to the increasing activity lighting up the town grid.

“Vala here, Sierra Golf Leader do you copy? We have the plans for 225 Marge Avenue, over.”

_“Vala, come in.”_

“The north side entrance of 225 Marge opens to a long straight corridor that leads south with three rooms on either side. At the south end of the corridor, there is a door and beyond it there is a second reception area with a small isolated room, perhaps a large closet, located on the west corner. The reception area has a door to Bart Lane. There is no second floor noted on the plans but there is a tunnel connecting 225 Marge with the NID building next door to the east and the Security Office on Simpson Square. The access to the tunnel is at the south end of the corridor, near the reception area in the back.”

_“Copy that: north door, corridor, tunnel to the east, reception area to the south, with a small room to the west and a back door to Bart. Over and out.”_

Voices were heard as the dozen or so friendly operatives positioned themselves around the NID buildings.

_“This is Sierra Golf Leader, Kawalsly and Jon do you copy? We’ll take the door on the south side. Your position? Over.”_

_“Copy that, We are in position on Marge Avenue. You’ll need some distraction on the north entrance. We’ll provide it in 5 minutes, over.”_

_“Roger that, over and out.”_

Soon Jack’s green dot came alive again.

_“This is Sierra Golf Leader, Rodriguez, Elliot, begin your operation on West Groening and block access to Marge Avenue. Neutralize all hostiles, over and out.”_

_“Wilco, Elliot out.”_

Daniel and Vala followed the action through the dizzying flood of responses the shield grid graphed as everyone moved towards the NID building.

They could not see the two big fires that suddenly blocked a section of the western peripheral road and effectively trapped the NID vehicle still struggling to move on the solid ice. In the heavily falling snow the flames seemed more ominous than they actually were but they heard the sudden burst of chatter that these events created. Three guards using their radios abandoned the useless car, but the sound of zat guns sounded and the reds dots became more sparse.

Suddenly, they could hear Loxy again, speaking from his residence. Daniel raised the volume.

_“… you this was not a good idea General Dunpolt. Fraiser should’ve been moved elsewhere. We are under attack and request immediate help.”_

_“Loxy, you son-of-a-bitch. You FUCKING IDIOT! How many times have I told you to get rid of her? You are now on your own. I don’t want my men anywhere close to your fucking mess, you MORON.”_

_“Oh, no, you will not leave me holding the bag, this is all your fault. She should not have been here to begin with….”_

The discussion intensified--both men speaking at the same time and exchanging insults--while a cell phone text message popped up on the screen in front of Daniel.

_“Teufel, eliminate Loxy and the woman. Now. GenRD.”_

“Daniel here, Jack, do you copy?”

_“Roger, but I’m a little busy here.”_

“This is high priority, Jack. Dunpolt just ordered Janet’s murder. Morton Loxy is moving out of his residence across the street and Dunpolt ordered his execution too. You need to move fast.”

_“Roger that, Daniel. Janet is our top priority but if we see Loxy we’ll do the grab. We’re in white-out conditions. Over and out.”_

“Crap!” said Daniel running towards the window and carefully peeking through the shades. The snow was coming hard swallowing the world in fluid waves of white.

Jack’s voice could be heard over the chatter ordering everyone to move into the building. Daniel returned to his listening post, his hand pressing against his temple as the anxiety of the moment was turning the tension headache into a killer migraine. Distractedly, he opened the desk and after finding his medicine he took a tablet into his mouth. He needed to keep sharp now more than ever.

_“This is Jon, do you copy Sierra Golf Leader? I’m outside of 255 Marge. Visibility is close to zero; I see a shadow ahead. . . I think is Loxy . . . stand by.”_

The sudden noise of a gun firing and loud screams startled the couple siting in the dark office.

_“This is Sierra Golf Leader, Jon, report.”_

There was no answer.

_“This is Kawalsky, Sierra Golf Leader, we’re on Marge closing in on 225. There’s a fresh blood trail, the victim is moving east. We’ll have to follow up on that later, over.”_

_“Roger that. Kawalsky, breach the north door now.”_

Barely breathing, Daniel and Vala monitored the action. They saw the red dots moving in the NID building and then stop blinking. They could hear people running, screaming orders, the metallic sounds of zats firing, doors crashing and the loud echoes of guns discharging.

The radio chatter became very active and it seemed to be coming from everywhere. Daniel manipulated the sounds channeled through the shield until he was able to isolate the NID building more clearly.

 _“O’Neill, we need to take this metal door down,”_ said Teal’c _._

_“Janet? Are you in there?”_

No answer came.

_“Janet, in case you hear us, stand back. We are going to use C4 okay?”_

A few red dots in the Security Office moved west as if passing through walls.

“Daniel, they’re calling for reinforcements,” said Vala, pointing at the transcript.

“Daniel here,” said the archeologist closely following a group of intermittent red dots on the grid, “Jack, incoming hostiles moving west probably through the underground tunnel.”

_“Roger that.”_

After a few seconds gun fire erupted somewhere in the NID building.

Daniel closed his eyes and prayed to whatever gods were out there that Janet and his friends would be well.

Suddenly an unexpected voice came through the voice link.

_“This is Colonel Mitchell on board the Odyssey. We just arrived in town and I’m monitoring the ongoing op on the FreeJF security channel. Do you require any assistance? Over.”_

“It’s Cam!! Woohooo! The cavalry is here!” shouted Vala.

“This is Daniel, welcome back Cam, please stand by.”

_“Wilco.”_

Daniel could hear the controlled thump of a C4 explosion and a door hitting a wall. People running and Teal’c’s deep voice booming.

_“Janet Fraiser is unconscious but breathing normally.”_

_“Daniel, got that? The big guy has her.”_

_“Jack, the Odyssey is standing by.”_

_“This is Sierra Golf Leader, Mitchell do you read the locator beam? Two to beam up now!”_

Daniel took a long, deep breath.

 _“This is Mitchell, we got them. They are in the infirmary,”_ Cam said after a minute _._

_“This is Sierra Golf Leader, Daniel we need your help with the mop-up. She’ll be okay.”_

“Right. Roger that. By the way, Jack, you have incoming from the north.”

_“Copy that. Okay everyone, let’s go kick some NID butt!”_

Sometime later, after the operation became a slower police action a bored Vala turned to her companion.

“Daniel, don’t you want to go see Janet?”

There was no point in denying that Daniel was aching to hold Janet and to be held by her. Her lovely image had sustained him through his own ordeal and the threat of losing her had turned the last hours into a living hell. Yet, Daniel had accepted he had to stay on the ground without complaint.

“Look, Vala, everyone in town helped us out at considerable personal risk. The least I can do is to assist them in restoring order so they’ll be safe.”

“Right. Duty before romance,” said Vala with a smirk. “I’ll keep you company, darling.”

Daniel looked at her with a genuine smile and wrapped his arms around the beautiful woman sitting next to him.

“Thank you for your help, Vala. I’m sorry I can’t give you what you want but I’ll always be there for you, if you let me. I’m still your friend.”

Vala returned the sweet hug.

“My dear, Daniel, I have moved on. I know we weren’t right for each other given the way things were. But you,” but she then corrected, “no, you and Janet are my family, perhaps my one true family. I need you guys and will do whatever is necessary to keep you both safe.”

Overcome by emotion, Daniel held on to Vala and kissed the top of her head.

“Okay, dear sister. I’ll never forget.”

In the comfortable silence the two friends assisted as the operation slowly came to a close.

Within the hour, two dozen NID operatives were found, neutralized and transported, via the Odyssey, for questioning and processing to a detention area deep in the SGC. Jon was found near the supermarket. A bullet to the shoulder had put him out of commission but he had refused to give up the prize he was still dragging along: the unconscious Loxy, who had been shot in the stomach. They were beamed directly to the SGC infirmary.

With Jon’s help the transporter rings were activated and a steady flow of SGC Marines came through for a final security sweep of the town. By then Daniel had shrunk the effects of shield back to just the perimeter of his home. Power and normal communications had been restored and Pueblito was once more in the hands of the SGC.

When it was all over Daniel allowed the shield computer program to run its course, which meant transmitting its data to the SGC. He knew there were reams of paper being printed somewhere at the base with a log of everything that the shield had captured. With clinical accuracy, the log function would transcribe everything: every order given through a radio, every command issued through a cell phone. Daniel looked at the log on the screen. It showed a reality where the ethical and the legal had become rather uncertain notions. He had a hard time living with such murky ethics. But he was simply too exhausted to care. All he wanted was to hold Janet and be left alone in peace.

Vala came into his dark office and turned on the light on the desk.

“Darling, time to go. Janet is awake and asking for you.”

She handed Daniel a parka and walked him to the library atrium where the Odyssey located them. Once they were transported on board, he followed Vala to the hallway near the ship’s infirmary.

“Take care of each other,” she said turning towards her friend. “There’s nothing more important than that.” She kissed him sweetly on one pale, stubbly cheek and went to look for Cam. She needed to be held too.

Daniel entered the small medical bay he had left only a few hours ago. A pair of dark, vivid eyes gave him all the welcome he needed.

He sat on the bed and, gently avoiding Janet’s IV line, he pulled her towards him. He felt her arms wrap around his waist and her body relax into his embrace. It seemed like such a long time since they had been together, but it had only been a few days. At the same time, it felt like they had never been apart, yet so much had happened to them. They held each other tightly, letting the fear and the anxiety subside and fall by the wayside.

Janet raised her face and let her nose rub his. He pulled back to look at her deep chocolate eyes. She was so beautiful and she was smiling and bringing her lips closer to his. He took the hint and soon lost himself in the kiss until she slowly brought it to an end.

“Can we go home?” she asked.

Daniel smiled. He was quite ready.

 

===

 

The lone figure walked in a southwest direction using the rural wire fencing, the only visible feature in the uninterrupted snow field, to orient himself. It would be a few hours until daybreak but the snow glare provided enough light to see. After an hour or so the dark shape of a large metal container came into view.

The man removed the snow from the short end, unlocked the clasps, and pried it open.

Inside, there was a small compact car and a snow mobile. It always paid off to have an exit plan.

He pulled the snow vehicle out, closed the container and sped away.

On the long way back to town he went over in his mind the harried phone conversation he had during the attack.

“Mr. Shaw, this is Chief Teufel. I have some bad news. Pueblito is under a full attack from what I assume is SGC military personnel. They’re most likely looking for Dr. Fraiser. I don’t have enough guards to keep her in custody.”

_“Teufel, can’t you just put her in a car and drive away?”_

“Sir, we’re in the middle of a blizzard. All roads are impassable or closed. We’re outnumbered and out powered by superior alien technology. General Dunpolt has refused for days to send us any reinforcements or move the prisoner to a more secure location. Moreover, I just received a direct order from him to execute both the woman and Loxy.”

_“I see. We do want her but Loxy has become a liability.”_

“Actually, he may be gone already, but white out conditions made it impossible to confirm the hit.”

_“Mr. Teufel, you’re a loyal man. Thank you for letting me know. We’ll take care of Dunpolt. Get out of there now. We’ll need to debrief AMEBA as soon as possible. Contact me when you can and we’ll arrange for transportation.”_

By the time Teufel found the small house at the edge of Colorado Springs he was shivering and at the edge of hypothermia.

 

===

 

The thing about adventures, even big epic adventures, is that eventually one returns home. If the place was left empty for a while, one may be pulled into the daily routine by iffy things awaiting in the fridge, a bit of ripe trash demanding quick disposal or a mail box full of unwanted paper.

Yet, Janet and Daniel experienced the not always pleasant chores that marked their abrupt return to normal life like a warm embrace. They were alive, they had each other and they were back into the relative safety of their home.

Once the on-board doctor was satisfied that they were both on their way to recovery they returned home via the Library atrium. They had a few hours of down time ahead but there were still pending rather important debrief meetings which could not be delayed much longer.

By agreement of all the parties involved, this was to be probably one of the few times that an official SGC debriefing would not take place in the conference room, the infirmary, or even at the base at all.

The briefing had been moved to Daniel and Janet’s home, namely for security reasons, but mostly because there were so many people not members of the SGC staff involved in recent events. Simply getting together for lunch in Pueblito had sounded like the most practical solution.

Standing in front of the open fridge, her nose wrinkled in distaste, Janet decided they would order pizza for the next day’s lunch, even if they had to zat the zealous marines now guarding the neighborhood’s gates.

“Forget the meeting. Let’s just eat something quick and go to bed. I’m hungry, I’m tired and...”

“…and getting cranky,” Janet said, rubbing his back soothingly.

They ate some pasta Janet had frozen the week before, unceremoniously tossed the trash bag onto the piling snow outside, and went upstairs.

Janet sat a naked Daniel on a small plastic bench inside the tub and gently bathed him--the welts and bruises now becoming quite evident--without getting his bandages too wet. It was hard to do, as he kept grabbing Janet, still in her underwear, and hugging her so he could rest his head on her belly, or on her shapely back or right above her hip. She was soft and her form pliant making her the best pillow. He was simply hungry for her warm skin. Janet, enjoying the security of his arms around her, indulged him.

“Daniel, don’t fall asleep. Just a little bit longer.”

“Yeahsuremmmmm.”

He never noticed how Janet changed the dressing on his wounds. The soft bed, the comfortable PJs, as her tender care relaxed him and made him fall asleep. It was almost 4:00 am in the morning and Daniel had been on a roller coaster of adrenaline and despair for more than 48 hours.

In her jammies, Janet got into bed and snuggled near Daniel seeking comfort. Flat on his back, his arms carefully folded on his chest, he felt Janet curl against him and instinctively sought her hand in the dark. They felt asleep almost instantly.

 

===

 


	10. Epilogue

 Pueblito by Magnavox_23

 

As Daniel began to stir he instinctively sought the warmth of Janet’s body but could not find it. For a long, disorienting moment he thought he was still at the bottom of the dark pit in Semira and that he was having a hallucination. The rising panic stopped when he smelled the coffee and heard Janet’s voice.

“Daniel, almost everyone is here. We let you sleep but now it’s time to get up.”

“Uh… who?”

“The same people who came to our last meeting and a few more. Everyone who helped with my rescue yesterday.”

Daniel sat up and stifled a painful groan.

“I think they’ll have to wait a bit longer. Now Daniel, you will do as I say. No arguments.”

Daniel opened his eyes wide. He knew this Janet but it had been so long. Then, he tried to correct himself mentally but gave up. He needed more coffee to figure the strange mathematics of alternate realities.

With enough coffee in his system, bathed and medicated, Daniel found a place at the full dining table and picked up a slice from the last pizza box left.

Jack stood up.

“Since our Sleeping Beauty isn’t quite awake yet I’m gonna lead the meeting today.”

The laughter made Daniel send a mock death glare in Jack’s direction.

They spent the next hour clarifying the events that had taken place since Janet’s kidnapping, including the rescue operation of the previous evening.

“Mayor Morton Loxy has agreed to give testimony against the NID,” said Landry. “We are requesting that the President arrange for some kind of legal system to handle our legal claims. We are still looking for Chief Teufel.”

“Before we go,” said Jack, “I thought we should have a pragmatic conversation about the future and about self-government. We need a few folks to act as a temporary town council until local elections are organized. To that effect, I nominate––“

“Ms. Thanet of Cantus, Mr. Charles Kawalsky, Mr. Jon O’Neill, and Mr. Luis Rodriguez.”

Daniel had finished that sentence just in case. He was not in the mood to let Jack run amok in Pueblito.

An explosion of applauses rang in the packed dining room in approval, as people pat the backs of the nominated council members, who were still in shock.

“All righty then. So that’s done,” said Jack, all smiles. “Jon and Charlie, if you both could please work with General Landry to coordinate town security?”

“As of now, and for security reasons, Pueblito is an extension of the SGC,” clarified Landry. “We are happy to coordinate with any local government of your choice but the tight security at the access points will have to continue as it does at the SGC itself. We want you to keep enjoying certain access to knowledge and technology that are not available to the population at large so we must keep uninvited or unescorted guests out.”

Daniel stood up. Things were moving in the right direction but some basic principles needed to be established from the very beginning.

“Look, everyone, I know we are all feeling a huge sense of relief but perhaps before making these changes official we should have a general town meeting soon. I heard some of you have been waiting for a long time to return to your home planets. We need a more open dialogue to see who wants to stay and participate and who wants to leave.”

“I agree with you, Daniel. We need to sort that out,” said Jack. “Beginning next week, Homeworld Security will make available an application for relocation so the folks who want to leave can do so freely and safely. If you decide to stay, we’ll offer you a path to legal residency.”

Ms. Thanet of Cantus raised her hand to speak and everyone fell silent.

“Folks, when you make your future plans, please consider that your testimony may be a key factor in the legal cases against the NID. So let’s discuss this at the town meeting.”

“We agree with Thanet,” said Shawdi and Lorand Galander, the twin nurses Daniel had met earlier. “Something funny has been going at the clinic and perhaps now that can be investigated.”

“These are all really good points,” said Jon. “Let’s tell everyone that there’ll be an informal town meeting at the school’s basketball court tomorrow Sunday at 3 pm.”

“One more thing,” said Daniel standing up next to Janet and taking her hand in his, “Janet and I would like to thank all of you for your help in the last few days and for all your efforts on our behalf. We feel much safer here knowing that we have such caring and courageous neighbors.”

Everyone cheered. Before long the meeting came to an end as people went home to a whole new set of options facing them. Jack, Vala and Teal’c remained behind. Janet and Jack got the fire going while Vala and Daniel prepared warm drinks for everyone. They sat in the living room and relaxed after the intense meeting.

“Everyone is invited to stay here tonight,” said Janet with an air of finality.

“Thank you,” said Jack, “I gladly accept your hospitality. I want to be at that meeting tomorrow.”

“Daniel and Janet, I accept your invitation too. I would like to take a closer look at this town. Chulak’s High Council of Education is moving forward with its plans but we need to understand what educational models are the most suitable to our objectives. I have been asked to escort a number of Jaffa officials and educators who wish to learn more about Tau’ri universities. A house in this town would be more convenient for this task than the small VIP rooms at the SGC.”

“Teal’c, that’s a great idea if it can be worked out. What about you Vala?” asked Daniel.

“Well, yes...” said Vala, clearing her throat, “Cam and I have decided that we’re going to need a place of our own, I mean a place for the both of us when we are planet side. This is a charming town.”

Daniel gently punched Vala on the arm. She looked happy and he was pleased with the news.

“The more the merrier,” said Jack with a sad smile.

“General, Cam and I would like to keep working together. Is that possible, sir?”

“It really depends on General Landry. Perhaps you could become an advisor under Landry’s direct command, just like Daniel. At any rate, it’s time that we establish an Exo-Trade Department to keep a closer track on all these new trade agreements. Let’s have a chat next week.”

“Jack, what about you?” asked Daniel, picking up on his friend’s melancholic mood.

“Well, you know me. I got my place in DC and the cabin up north. I’m not sure if I want to afford any more real estate.”

“That’s a load of B.S. and you know it!” said Daniel, with intensity. “There are many empty houses in town, even more so if folks leave or move away. Besides, you’re welcome to stay with us anytime. We have enough room to set you up in a comfortable suite so you can have your own space any way you like it.”

Jack looked down and smiled, his eyes shy but bright in appreciation.

“Will you stay on Earth or do you plan to retire off-world?”

Daniel understood Jack’s question. Too many loses already in his life.

“This is our home, Jack and all of you are our family. Does it matter where we end up if at the end we are all together?”

“I guess not. Well, as long as there is a place to fish.”

A knock at the door interrupted the discussion.

“Howdy folks,” said Cam, following Janet into the room. “Sorry to miss lunch, General. Duty called. So, Princess, are you ready to take a look?”

Vala gave him a radiant smile and jumped off her seat to get her coat.

“What do you say, Master Teal’c, should we go and take a look too?”

“Indeed, O’Neill, I am always happy to survey the territory with my apprentice.”

“Is that Jaffa humor?”

Daniel and Janet saw their bantering friends out and then returned to their place on the sofa.

“It looks like we may be getting new neighbors,” said Janet.

“Maybe a guest or two as well.”

“You’re gonna need that long table after all.”

“Janet, are you sure we should stay here? When I found out you were missing I just… it felt like it was the end the world for me. I don’t want to go through that again.”

“I understand. I actually spent most of my time in captivity sleeping. It wasn’t too bad. Just frustrating and boring. But you had a hard time, didn’t you?”

“I’ve had worse. I’m here now.”

“I make you a deal. If you don’t lie to me about the things that happen to you, I won’t lie about my own experiences.”

“Why do you wanna make me talk about that stuff?”

Janet simply looked at him. There was no way to get around her demanding eyes.

“You really want the full debrief?”

Janet nodded.

Resigned, Daniel relaxed on the sofa, put his long legs on the table and looked at the flames playing in the fire place. He allowed his mind to go back to those dark hours and shape them into words. Janet sat by his side lending her quiet support.

“As I feared, negotiations between Nims and Kuruks quickly fell into a downward spiral. After two days, as we were preparing our exit strategy, our hosts invited us to dinner. We thought it was a gesture to help diffuse tensions but it was really a trap….”

 

===

 

The next morning, even before opening her eyes, Janet sensed the cold and sunny weather outside the window shades. Not ready to abandon the warm comfort of her bed she pushed back into the source of heat. A pair of long arms pulled her into a protective embrace.

A warm, prickly sensation on her nape sent a wave of delicious tingles throughout her naked body. She relaxed into the feeling as soft kisses worshipped her shoulders and followed the line of her neck. Warm breath reached her ear, making her spine shiver in delight. She moaned softly while awaking into a rising wave of desire.

Hands followed the curves of her body in loving caresses. Janet responded by pressing herself against Daniel’s full arousal and slightly opening her legs in invitation. Gentle fingers slowly prepared her pleasure so Daniel, spooning closer, could slide into her unhurriedly and without disturbing their perfect hidden world that a sea of blankets protected from the cold outside.

Janet felt loved; her wants fulfilled. Riding the waves of emotion and pleasure both lovers half-dreamed their languorous, early morning love making. A bubble of satisfied happiness lulled their entangled bodies back to sleep.

An hour later, the insistent musical chime of a cell phone’s clock alarm filled the room.

“Ughhhyawwwwwmmmmncoffee,” mumbled Daniel.

“Your turn.”

“Nahmmmcoffee,” he insisted.

“It must be a dizzying feeling to have what? 25 languages? And all kick into gear simultaneously around mid-morning.”

“Hmmpf,” he concluded.

“Right, coffee.”

After calculating things for a moment, Janet jumped onto the bundled form that was Daniel and finding the funny spots on his rib cage she tickled him with merciless gentleness making the man giggle like a school girl.

“Come on, let’s go take a shower,” she teased.

Daniel was finally awake.

He tried to grab Janet, but she was too fast--or he was too slow as his body was not yet fully recovered from his imprisonment in Semira. Resigned, he jumped off the bed and followed her to the bathroom and into the welcoming feeling of the warm water spray.

It was a happy Sunday morning.

The smell of coffee beckoned down their guests, who began cooking in comfortable unison in the sunny kitchen, resulting in an odd but plentiful medley of breakfast choices.

A neighbor came by with a small tractor to remove the piled snow from their driveway while Janet and Daniel pursued each other through the cold white garden in a relentless snow fight. Soon enough, the laughter-filled combat became an all out campaign when Cam, Vala, Teal’c and Jack joined in. Snow balls filled the air as the tensions of the last weeks fell away forgotten in the pure joy of child play.

Nobody knew what was more disconcertingly funny, hearing Teal’c laughing his full laugh, as if somebody had told them a really good Jaffa joke, or seeing Jack belly-laugh his way to breathlessness, until he had to sink to the ground and admit defeat.

The promise of a hot drink brought everyone inside. Outside, the local snow removal trucks continued working, making the roads passable for the upcoming town-hall meeting.

 

===

 

The house was suddenly quiet. Jack, Cam and Teal’c had departed for the SGC to attend a meeting about the most recent NID-related arrests, while Janet and Vala were in the kitchen discussing real estate choices. Alone in the library, Daniel savored his second cup of hot chocolate.

A dozen books on ancient Near Eastern history were still scattered over the large work table exactly as he had left them the day he departed for Semira. He walked around looking at the volumes feeling angry that all his efforts had been doomed to failure from the start by the relentless interference of the NID.

In a corner of the table Janet had stacked a number of books about Mesopotamian mythology. She had been interested in Gilgamesh and had planned to write down whatever she could remember about Nirrti’s knowledge on the subject.

“Daniel, we’re going out to take a look at the empty house on the next block,” said Janet from the foyer.

“We think it could be turned into a nice guest house for visiting dignitaries,” added Vala grabbing her heavy coat.

“Before you go, may I ask you two a question? What do you know about Gilgamesh?”

“You mean the Gilgamesh that fought against Ishtar and lost his friend Enkidu in battle?” asked Vala.

“Yeah, as some ancient myths have it.”

“In my reality Nirrti knew Enkidu. Ishtar was a Goa’uld and she turned Enkidu into one,” explained Janet.

“In Semira, the Nim and the Kuruk framed their conflict in terms of the fight between Inanna and Gilgamesh. Too bad I never had a chance to ask them about it.”

“Wait,” said Vala, “Qetesh believed that Innana was just another host for Ishtar.”

Daniel’s eyes widened and his lips slackened in awe as if he were a gaping fish.

“Remarkable! Do you realize that you both have memories of people who were part of one of the oldest myths recorded on Earth’s history?”

“Gilgamesh and Enkidu weren’t indigenous to Earth, at least not in my reality. They were part of a race that was ready to destroy a good part of the galaxy,” said Janet.

“What do you mean?” asked Daniel, sitting down. He should be used to the feeling of seeing the accepted ancient history of the Earth turned to shreds, but this was such an old myth… Grabbing a paper tablet he began to take notes.

Janet considered her memories for a moment. “Nirrti believed that the Hurucs, the name of the people from whom Gilgamesh and Enkidu came, were preparing for some event of galactic proportions thousands of years ago, but it never happened. Or at least, it hadn’t yet taken place in my reality.”

Vala also searched her memories. “Something about Enkidu going back to his home galaxy to spread Goa’uld domination.”

“Yes, by infiltration. He had taken symbiotes with him,” continued Janet. “Nirrti knew that the older Goa’uld Lords had expected something to happen, some kind of retribution from part of the Hurucs. They found several ships that had been sent to strategic spots in the Milky Way so they’d work together in triggering some kind of deadly cataclysmic reaction. The plan was never completed,” said Janet giving Daniel a quick look. He got the message: there would be no mention of the ancient vessel loaded with ZPMs until they could talk to Jack.

“I don’t know about this part of the story,” responded Vala, “but perhaps others do. Maybe Ba’al’s host Nimrod remembers. He’s aging and not doing all that well.”

“Our search isn’t likely to succeed given that this information may be stored in Semira, in Irak or even with the Tok’ra. That really sucks,” said Daniel, tossing the pencil down on the table.

“We could check with Sarah Gardner. She might remember something too,” suggested Janet.

“That’s interesting. Daniel, if this pans out you might get all your girlfriends in a row,” said Vala with a chuckle.

“Oh brother,” said Daniel, closing his eyes and letting his head fall. As he blushed and became visibly annoyed the two women laughed.

“Daniel, it’s okay. We all love you. No need to feel uncomfortable. Much,” said Janet, giggling.

“Laugh all you want, but remember, Nimrod and even Cam may join the conversation,” said Daniel with a smirk, pointedly turning towards Vala, who rolled her eyes.

“We’re just teasing you a little, Daniel. I’m intrigued by the story of Gilgamesh,” said Janet. “Let’s get the group together and see how much we can figure out. I read those books but I still have many questions.”

“You mean you read that whole pile in the corner?”

“I was alone. I got bored and the books were rather interesting.”

Daniel looked at Janet as if he had never seen her before. He had never expected from her anything more than a bit of good hearted indulgence for his obsession with the historical past. This openness was an unexpected and rather pleasant surprise.

“Enough geeking out!” said Vala. “Let’s go see the houses around the block!”

 

===

 

After the two women left, Daniel put aside all thoughts of scholarly research. In the coming weeks he would have enough time to sort this Gilgamesh business. Before that, Jack had asked him to review some information to prepare for the upcoming town-hall meeting and for the SGC mission debrief the next day.

Still drinking his chocolate, he sat at his computer in his office and began to examine the logged transcripts of the FreeJF operation.

The shield system had coded conversation threads in contrasting colors but it offered the choice of displaying communication streams organized by source. He found that using that feature made it easier to locate several incriminating dialogues between Loxy and Teufel. He printed those pages.

Next he isolated Chief Teufel’s radio emissions but these were surprisingly limited. Perhaps he had escaped earlier than anticipated. There was a brief but highly incriminating conversation with a Mr. Shaw through a cell phone. Daniel made a mental note to pursue that lead later and proceeded to read the transcript, becoming so enraged with the information he encountered that he forgot how to breathe. The words on the screen not only clearly documented the twisted chain of command and the internal conflicts that had shaped the recent events in Pueblito, but it also highlighted the crimes involved including unlawful surveillance, harassment, kidnapping, murder and plotting to commit future illegal actions on Earth and off-world.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to curb his fury, Daniel found his cell phone and dialed Jack on a secure line.

“I found the smoking gun in the transcript, Jack. Several smoking guns to be exact.”

_“The bit about Ameba?”_

“Yeah.”

_“Walter found it too. Landry has ordered a manhunt for Teufel. We have many questions.”_

“What about Shaw?”

_“Nevin Shaw, CEO of Angel Bioengineering and an old friend of the President from his student days.”_

“I can’t believe the White House is involved.”

_“Not actively. Perhaps they’ve been a bit negligent but they have a lot on their plate at the moment. Nevertheless, the situation needs to be dealt with very carefully. Nobody wants a big scandal. It would be a political and economic disaster in the middle of the worse economic recession in recent history. We can’t tell the President directly, you understand, right?”_

“Plausible deniability. Frankly, I don't really give a damn. All I… all we want is justice and firm assurances of reasonable safety for our families. These companies with Ameba, whatever that is, and the NID, are still free to do whatever they want.”

_“I know. Look, the White House is willing to re-negotiate priorities at the SGC.”_

“Is that enough, Jack?”

_“We asked that the NID be dismantled, Dunpolt removed and his crimes investigated.”_

“And…”

_“JAG is getting ready to arrest him. And Paul Davis is in a meeting with the Chief of Staff about this.”_

“What about Pueblito?”

_“That too. We are waiting for Davis to report back. Daniel, these folks I mentioned are on our side. The President’s Chief of Staff was appalled by what happened and he’s practically fallen on his sword by getting directly involved in trying to resolve matters. He knows we have them over a barrel but we’re all supposed to be on the same side, right?”_

“One would like to think so but it hasn’t always been the case. At any rate, thank you for trying, Jack. Please let me know when you hear.”

 _“_ _Ya sure you betcha_ _.”_

 

===

 

Families began to walk by Daniel and Janet’s a good two hours before the town-hall meeting was to begin. Their neighbors were curious about the future but anxious about their fate. They wanted the chance to talk to their friends in town and learn about their concerns.

Holding hands, Janet and Daniel walked to the school, along with many others, excited by the palpable sense of change that was in the air. In the hallway next to the basketball court the couple met with Jack O’Neill and Paul Davis.

“Hello. Paul, thank you for coming all the way here to talk to us. I hope you bring good news.”

“It’s good to see that you’re both fine. Do you mind siting with us for a minute?”

The couple followed the Air Force officers into an empty classroom and they all sat together at a high worktable.

“Wow, this brings up memories,” said Jack repeatedly opening and closing the faucet in one of the sinks near to them.

Daniel turned towards Jack and frowned.

“Uh… sorry. Go ahead Paul,” said Jack, leaving the faucet alone but picking up a small box with assorted lab items, which he proceeded to examine.

“Thank you, General. First, I bring the Chief of Staff’s heart-felt apology for anything that the White House may have done that put you and the people of Pueblito in harm’s way. Moreover, he personally assured me that they will revise their policy regarding certain companies and the effect that their recommendations have on SGC policy, including a tighter access to classified information. They are willing to clean up house in certain industry sectors, but it will be done quietly and without creating economic instability. He hopes that you both understand that historic circumstances demand gradual action.”

Daniel nodded in resigned acceptance.

“I expect you want to know about the NID and Pueblito. I’ll go into more detail when I address the folks in there,” he pointed his thumb towards the gym, “but the new thinking after the Lucian attack is that the NID has been a failure. The President wants a new agency that is smaller, populated mostly by professional and scientists with extensive experience at the SGC. We’re taking as a model the work that civilians already do for the SGC so the agency should work in cooperation with the Air Force rather than against it. In reference to security matters, Homeworld Security will work directly with special units at JAG, the FBI, CIA and Interpol to address any possible issues.

“What about the people of Pueblito?” Janet asked.

“The White House has agreed to all our requests for folks to stay here or go back home in relative freedom. Elections must proceed and a more adequate police force hired. The town will remain classified as a special-case extension of the SGC base under civilian control. If such situation is uncomfortable, you both can choose to have a home in Colorado Springs. We really need the town to function as optional housing for the base, especially for our high-security guests.”

“What will be the fate of people like Hedwig, Loxy, Limberg, and Dunpolt?” inquired Daniel.

“JAG will have to deal with them and figure out how to dispense justice in such classified conditions, but we are thinking about opening a courthouse here in Pueblito for such cases since everyone already has clearance,” answered Paul.

“Okay folks, show time!” said Jack looking at his watch. “We can talk some more when the meeting is done.”

The group made their way to the gym’s entrance, where General Landry, Jon O’Neill, with his arm on a sling, Charlie Kawalsky, Thanet of Cantus, Luis Rodriguez, Teal’c, Vala, and Cam were waiting.

They entered together, mostly concentrating on spotting a good place to seat in the crowded place, but as soon as people identified them the gym exploded in cheers and applause.

By now everyone knew who these folks were and how they had risked their lives to help liberate the town. This was their chance to recognize their courage and celebrate the eagerly awaited changes coming their way.

Daniel and Janet waved to everyone for a moment and quickly sat down on the bleachers to hear the new members of the council. After the long applause they had managed to quiet down the crowd and were getting ready to open discussion on a long list of agenda items.

Pulling Janet a bit closer, Daniel brought his head down so he could speak in her ear.

“I have the feeling that Pueblito is gonna be okay. It should be interesting to see how things develop.”

She gave him a big smile full of love and hope.

“I think I’d like to see that,” she murmured back.

“Are you sure?”

“This is the first time in a long time that something I did--trying to hold on to my home ground--has yielded good results for other people. I like that feeling. I thought I lost it.”

“Yeah, funny how this town keeps giving me back things I thought were lost forever. I think I’d like to stay, too.”

Holding hands and surrounded by friends and neighbors Daniel and Janet felt they were finally home.

 

The End

 

===

 


End file.
